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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29889753">Only Together</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/redlerjuits/pseuds/ishouldbeoverfanficsbynow'>ishouldbeoverfanficsbynow (redlerjuits)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Arranged Marriage, BAMF Hermione Granger, Bisexual Dean Thomas, Childbirth, Dubious Consent, F/M, Falling In Love, Forced Bonding, Forced Marriage, Forced Pregnancy, Fred Weasley Lives, Gay Seamus Finnigan, Happy Ending, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Law Challenge, Multi, Past Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Past Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Past Relationship(s), Pregnancy, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Severus Snape Lives</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:13:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>25,027</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29889753</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/redlerjuits/pseuds/ishouldbeoverfanficsbynow</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Voldemort's operatives unleash a terrible plague on wizarding Britain after his death killing many witches. With a view to repopulate and mend the community the Wizengamot passes a bill mandating each witch to marry between 7 and 9 wizards. Hermione Granger is not at all prepared for the challenges her new husbands will bring her but at least she isn't facing it all alone.</p><p>(A self-indulgent marriage law fic.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley, Dean Thomas/Ginny Weasley, Ginny Weasley/Blaise Zabini, Gregory Goyle/Hermione Granger, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley, Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley/George Weasley, Hermione Granger/George Weasley, Hermione Granger/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hermione Granger/Lucius Malfoy, Hermione Granger/Rodolphus Lestrange, Hermione Granger/Severus Snape, Luna Lovegood/Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood, Seamus Finnigan/Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan/Ginny Weasley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>164</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>484</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Utter Madness</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is the first fanfiction I have written in years. It is inspired by multiple marriage law fics I have read over the years and is mostly a bit of self-indulgence. </p><p>I didn't mark as non-con as there are no explicit sex assaults planned to be included in this but as some of the wizards and witches wrapped up in the law aren't heterosexual and many people will be unhappy with the situations and have been forced into it I would say there's dub-con referred to at times. </p><p>I aim to update every 2 weeks but make no promises. </p><p>Open to constructive criticism but please be kind. I'm also looking for a beta if anyone is up for it :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hermione sat in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place cradling a cup of coffee that had long gone cold, a piece of toast abandoned on the plate beside her. The single bite she'd managed to eat sat like lead in her stomach. The boys weren't down yet, likely lay riddled with anxiety as she had the entire night. She hadn't even had a chance to enjoy having a toddler free house while Teddy stayed with the Weasleys. </p><p>On the table before her lay a discarded wand holster, a Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes cerberus teddy and three envelopes. She had placed each envelope by the seats the recipients usually sat in. Her own was much thicker and, when she had held it, had felt much heavier (though that was likely just the weight of her imminent doom, she supposed). The address and name had been carefully quilled in an elegant, flowing script. It made it seem like an affectionate correspondence rather than anything. The official ministry stamp, however, left no doubt of what the letter was - an abhorrent decree that was about to destroy the fragile peace she had managed to build for herself. Hermione stared at the envelope willing it to vanish and free her from her misery. It didn't. </p><p>Two years ago she had watched as Harry had obliterated the Dark Lord, ending his tyranny once and for all. They had won. And yet, as she walked into the Great Hall to see the bodies of so many of her friends, she realised winning wasn't much of a victory at all. She had kept herself together to help her adopted family as they grieved for so many and had pulled through long enough to know they were safe. It wasn't until she had arrived at her parents' home to find it ransacked that she had fallen apart. </p><p>The grief had consumed her for days. Her parents may have been safe in Australia but that didn't stop the pain of losing the last link she had to them. Hermione didn't know if she could reverse what she had done to their memories and until she knew the last of the deatheaters had been captured it would be too unsafe to try, knowing that they had managed to find the family home once and that they would be able to do so again. On top of that she had barely touched the trauma she had experienced. (<em>Would wizards even understand PTSD?</em>) So she had allowed herself to wallow for a time before collecting what remnants she could from the house, contacting a solicitor to sell it and dragging herself to Grimmauld Place. </p><p>Harry had been waiting for her with open arms. After she had filled him in on where she had been he had informed her that Ron was staying at the Burrow for a couple of weeks as they all tried to handle what had happened and reunite as a family. Harry updated her on the hunt for fugitives, the way that the medical teams had been overwhelmed and the state of the ministry. Hearing that Kingsley was to be interim minister was a relief and Hermione decided to offer what help she could. She hadn't been very concerned about the rumours of witches getting sick and overwhelming wards - the magical community hardly had to worry about diseases as their magic fought off all but the rarest of diseases. She should have been. </p><p>Stomping footsteps on the stairs distracted her from her introspection. Harry and Ron stomped into the kitchen and flopped into their seats with all of the strop like attitude of much younger teenagers. It almost brought a smile to her face as she watched them scowl at their letters. She couldn't hold back a sniffle at the realisation that this would be one of the last times they sat around this table. </p><p>Ron was the first to reach her side, pulling her against him so she could burry her head in his stomach as sobs shook her whole body. Hermione could feel Harry rest a hand on her back and rub soothing circles as Ron patted her hair. Her boys comforted her despite their own turmoil and the love she felt for them swelled up and bring fresh tears to her eyes. </p><p>"We'll get through this, Hermione. Together," she heard Harry say. She didn't want to remind him that they'd been together when they fought this and it hadn't done them any good. They could defeat megalomaniacs and mass murderers, but apparently not bureaucracy. </p><p>She withdrew from her exboyfriend's arms with some embarrassment over the tear stains on his jumper. It had been a little over a year since she and Ron had broken up, realising that their attraction had mostly come from the adrenaline of battle and shared trauma and they were only trying to stay together because it was what was expected of them. They may have loved each other fiercely but it was purely familial and platonic. Very little had changed considering they hadn't gone particularly far physically and she was going to miss having him with her when she had to move out. </p><p>"Sorry, sorry. I'm OK now," Hermione croaked out, reaching for a tissue to wipe her puffy eyes and nose. She took a deep breath to centre herself once they resumed their seats. "Let's just get this over with." </p><p>With a shaky hand she reached for her envelope and tore it open. She hardly heard the boys' envelopes tear as she unfolded the thick wad of parchment. The first page simply reiterated what she already knew about the law and the information in the letter before her. </p><p>The neat flowing script spoke of the plague unleashed by Voldemort's hidden operatives in the Department of Mysteries. Of how it swept through the population wiping out an unbearable amount of witches and a large chunk of wizards. Of how they were going to go extinct and it was everyone's duty to do what they could to prevent that. Hermione would like to sit them down and have a long talk with the people behind this about duty. </p><p>The letter explained that all witches of childbearing age and capability (and she didn't even want to think about all of the tests that had been undertaken to ensure that they were capable) were to be assigned between seven and nine wizards to marry and procreate with. The matches were to be determined based on magical compatibility and magical strength. Furthermore, wherever possible purebloods would be assigned muggleborns or halfblood spouses to "bridge the divide". When Hermione had first heard that little clause she had exploded in the Wizengamot meeting, ranting about bottleneck genetics and how they should be introducing incentives to marry muggles if they truly wanted to end the bigotry of the pureblood mantra. She had explained that they should be introducing wizards and witches from overseas if they didn't want to continue with the blasted inbreeding which had seemed to have run rampant. She'd been brushed off by the old guard of crusty purebloods (despite most of the younger lords knowing her well enough to listen) - they claimed they couldn't risk losing too much of the culture and heritage of wizarding Britain by introducing so many muggle and foreign elements. They didn't seem to see the irony in that and hadn't cared to have it pointed out. </p><p>There was a section on the consequences of refusing to marry your delegated witch or wizards - a stint in Azkaban or having your wand snapped - along with a section on exemptions. Very few people were exempt: those with creature blood or mated to someone with creature blood and those who already had five or more children. They'd fought tooth and nail for the latter to ensure that at least some would escape the law and, while it wasn't what they had hoped for, it meant that Mr and Mrs Weasley and Bill and Fleur could stay together. Hermione had once looked at the Weasleys' hoard of offspring and thought "what person would possibly think having this many children was sensible?". If only she'd known. </p><p>Finally having skimmed the cover letter she flipped to the first page of the information on her future husbands. She'd have to have at least one child with each of them and they would have to consummate the marriage within a week to meet the requirements of the law. At the very least she would be a mother of seven. And divorce wouldn't be an option for at least twenty-five years. Whoever this letter lumped her with she'd be stuck with. </p><p><em>Please let them at least be attractive</em>, she thought. </p><p>Hermione read the name at the top of the page then skipped the rest to stare at the photograph at the bottom. Her best friend stared back at her. <em>Well, shit.</em> </p><p>Hermione raised her eyes from the page to Harry James Potter, her best friend, future husband and saviour of the wizarding world, to find him already looking back at her in shock and apprehension. She felt awful for the tiny somersaults her heart was doing at the idea of being married to her kind, courageous and blasted gorgeous friend. He likely only saw her as a sister but she had harboured a secret crush on him for years and couldn't help feeling relieved he would be one of her husbands. What if despite them claiming that they didn't feel right for each other he was still caught up on Ginny? Merlin, she hoped he didn't hate her for this. </p><p>"Harry..." Hermione began before realising that she had no idea where to begin. </p><p>Luckily Harry had more of an idea. A relieved smile overtook his face and he stood up, made his way towards her and kissed her very firmly on the lips. Hermione melted into the kiss. It felt like coming home. Her magic clearly approved as it rose up within her reaching out for his. She guessed that the ministry must have been right about the magical compatibility at least, even if the rest was utter madness. </p><p>As Harry pulled away and her eyes fluttered open she saw the uncertainty and apprehension return to his face. After a dazzling smile from her though he visibly relaxed and offered her a wry grin. The clearing of a throat startled them both into turning to the other occupant of the kitchen. </p><p>"I take it by this development that you two will be sticking together?" Ron questioned with a teasing grin. </p><p>"Ron, I..." Harry trailed off uncomfortably. Hermione felt the same worry he must be feeling at Ron's reaction. Would he lash out and abandon them like he would have in school? </p><p>Ron laughed and shrugged, congratulating them and teasing them by demanding they tone down the PDA in his presence. They both breathed a sigh of relief. Hermione supposed they should have known better than to doubt their brother in arms, he had grown so much since returning to them in the Forest of Dean. </p><p>"At least me and Harry have done alright then." At her questioning look Ron passed her his letter. "I got Luna. And her other husbands don't look too bad. I'll even get to live with Neville."</p><p>She skimmed his letter, noting that the photograph used for Luna highlighted her ethereal beauty without dismissing the quirkiness she was known for. Hermione wondered if her photo was flattering or simply left her looking frumpy and flustered as she had felt on the day it was taken by a Ministry official. She certainly hoped her husbands-to-be at the very least found her attractive.</p><p>Harry and Ron watched her carefully as she set aside Ron's letter and returned to her own. Her first husband was wonderful, there was every chance the others would be too. The worst case scenario would be if she were assigned a deatheater who had had their Azkaban sentence downgraded to a little house arrest with their magic monitored in return for volunteering to do their part in repopulating magical Britain. Or, Merlin forbid, a Malfoy!</p><p>Halting her thoughts before she could spiral into another meltdown, Hermione flipped to the next page and paled. Why the fuck would she tempt fate like that? There, written in the same pretty handwriting as the rest as if the words hadn't just destroyed her life, were the words "Lucius Malfoy".</p><p>"Shite." </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Understatement</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Very brief chapter from Harry's pov</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you all for the lovely comments (and advice I hope I managed to incorporate)! I know I said that I'd update every 2 weeks but my day has been so crappy I needed to accomplish something! </p><p>Hope you all like this brief foray into Harry's perspective!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hermione was, to put it bluntly, losing her shit. Harry had watched with morbid interest as she had quickly spiralled through what may have been the first stages of grief - panic and denial - to land in her current state: rage. Her hair frizzed and sparked as her magic lashed out, the mug she had been holding had smashed against the far wall with the contents splattered around the room and an unholy shriek came from deep within her chest. Harry, who had faced dragons, a basilisk, more dark witches and wizards than he could count and the Dark Lord himself, thought it was the most terrifying bloody thing he had ever seen. </p><p>He traded a wide-eyed glance with Ron and they both stepped away from the table in the nick of time. The table burst into flames as the windows rattled and the cupboard doors slammed open and closed. They would have to get a new cerberus for Teddy. Harry felt his ears pop at the same instant as every glass, window and mirror in the street exploded. Then suddenly everything ceased. </p><p>A heavy silence settled over them. Harry cast his eyes over the devastation of the small kitchen. In the back of his mind he wondered what Kreacher would do when he saw the damage - cry and make Hermione feel terribly guilty probably.</p><p>When devastated sobs broke the silence his own heart shattered to see the woman he had come to love above all others so heartbroken. He was at her side in an instant, taking the place Ron had before, kneeling and encircling Hermione with his arms where she had collapsed on the floor and allowing her to press her face into his neck. Harry had expected an extreme reaction when he had read who he would be sharing his wife with but that didn't make it any easier to witness. Those bastards in the Department of Marriage Reform had better stay out of his way.</p><p>"Lucius Malfoy. How can they expect me to marry <em>Lucius fucking Malfoy?!</em>" she screamed hoarsely by his ear. Harry couldn't hold in the wince at the pain that caused his already raw ears.</p><p>Hermione pulled back with a guilty glance at him. She pulled herself into her chair by the still smoldering breakfast table and pulled the annoyingly pristine parchment from the embers - the ministry must have made it tamperproof. Setting her jaw she passed it to Ron, who looked ready to hunt down anyone he could hold accountable but was otherwise doing a good job holding it together for her. Ron's face flickered between anger, surprise, amusement and pure unadulterated hate as he read each name aloud. </p><p>"Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Severus Snape, Fred Weasley, George Weasley... And Rodolphus Lestrange." Ron twisted his lips as he uttered the last name and Harry placed a comforting hand on Hermione's shoulder as she bowed her head. </p><p>Harry had known he would have to share whichever witch he came to be assigned. As soon as they had realised the number of fertile witches were far outweighed by the number of fertile wizards it had been announced that polyamorous relationships would be necessary to prevent wizarding families from dying out. Harry didn't know who had done the maths on how many wizards each witch would have to marry but he would bet his wand it wasn't a mathematician. In fact, he reckoned that the people who matched the witches to their wizards and worked out how many each witch would need had the same amount of sense as the Wizengamot when they decided to ignore rationality and science and enact this law - precisely none. The laws were as much to keep the old ways in tact as they were for the greater good but they were so nonsensical he doubted they'd even achieve that. </p><p>He'd been sorely tempted to tell them all to get fucked. It had been Hermione who had convinced him he couldn't disregard the law and wage war upon the Ministry. There'd already been rumblings about whether he would be the next Dark Lord (something about how only a dark wizard could be so powerful or claiming the position through conquest or nonsense like that) and she'd managed to talk him down enough to see what that would look like to the gullible masses. So he'd play along. For now. </p><p>This was testing his self-restraint though. He'd been given the woman of his dreams, the girl who had always been in his heart but now filled it to the brim. When he'd gotten back together with Ginny he knew it wouldn't last. Not only because they were no longer compatible, the war having changed them beyond recognition, but because his heart had already been lost to the strongest woman he'd ever met. Those weeks they had been alone in that tent on the run had brought a sharp clarity to the feelings he'd always carried for his best friend. Because, yes, they were in hell, but it was OK as long as they were together. </p><p>But she was Hermione! They all knew her and Ron were meant to be, so as soon as they had gotten together he'd backed off and tried to make things work with Ginny. It was unfair to them both, but they had tried so hard to make it work until Ginny finally had enough and ended things. Not long after that Ron and Hermione had split up. He'd been biding his time, waiting for exactly the right moment to make his move, when the law had been announced and crushed his hopes and dreams. How could he have known that it would give him everything he ever wanted? </p><p>Yet despite having his deepest desire handed to him, it came with far too many strings attached. While he'd known he was going to have to share his wife, he hadn't known that he would have to share <em>Hermione</em>. In some way she'd always been his as much as Ron's. And he hadn't minded sharing her with Ron, his brother in every way that mattered. Harry did not in any way own or control her (and if he tried no one would ever find his body) but, for some unknown reason, Hermione had chosen Ron and him to be her people. They were hers and she was theirs. </p><p>How would he share her with these wizards? The twins he supposed he could manage, even Kingsley eventually, but Malfoy Junior? Malfoy <em>Senior</em>? Snape? <em>Rodolphus fucking Lestrange?!</em> And how the fuck was Goyle of all people powerful enough to be compatible with Hermione? They were going to end up killing each other for sure. </p><p><em>I can do this,</em> Harry thought, <em>for her. </em></p><p>Surprisingly, only a moment after hearing the names of her soon to be husbands she shook him off and stood with chin raised and shoulders squared, determination etched into each line of her face. She grimaced in shame and embarrassment as she took in the destruction of her outburst before whipping out her wand and repairing what she could. The windows and glasses repaired themselves and the coffee splatters vanished but they would need a new table and Teddy's toy was gone. Next she accioed a few pieces of parchment and a biro and began scribbling out a set of rather rough invitations. Harry spied her including the address of a nearby cafe which offered a few private rooms for meetings and events, he supposed it was a neutral enough venue for such a fraught conversation. She handed each of them a pile of invitations before storming from the room. </p><p>"This is a bloody mess, isn't it?" Ron said. </p><p>"Understatement, mate," Harry sighed as Hermione swept back into the room wearing a cheery yellow sundress. It was jarring in the dreary light and grey mood of the kitchen.</p><p>"Ron, you need to go to Luna's so on the way can you please deliver those to the twins and send an owl with the last to Kingsley? Your dad's owl should be able to get through his wards." She waited for him to nod his agreement before turning to Harry. "Harry, I need you to send the rest to the Malfoys and Goyle. You then need to collect Professor Snape from Spinner's End, you're the most likely to be able to get him there and handle his moods. I will collect Lestrange from the Ministry. Meet me at the café. Ron, we will see you for dinner at the Burrow tonight - knowing your mum she'll organise a family meeting."</p><p>Without waiting for any sign from Harry that he understood his mission, correctly assuming his obedience from their track record, she cast a handful of floo powder into the kitchen fireplace and stepped through to the Ministry. The two of them, left in the strange atmosphere from the morning's events, exchanged a sympathetically weary look before starting on their tasks. Ron left via the floo as Harry called their owl to send the missives he'd been put in charge of. Then he gathered whatever he thought he might need for the day and apparated through the wards to the dreary Mancunian street, with shoulders slumped in weariness. It was going to be a long day. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Making Bellatrix Proud</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hermione meets with her fiancés. It goes... well?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey all! Thank you so much for the amazing comments!</p>
<p>Sorry this is a day late - it was my birthday yesterday so I got tipsy with my bubble and watched moulin rouge.</p>
<p>Just a note to say I am going to edit some typos I missed in the last 2 chapters (let me know if you see any in this one). I have already fixed some of chapter 2 - more wizards survived than witches not the other way around. </p>
<p>Hope you guys like this chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The crowds in the Ministry entrance parted before the stormy expression on Hermione's face, wisely choosing to avoid attracting her ire. Once alone in the lift everyone had quickly vacated she slumped against the wall and blinked back helpless tears. The release from her earlier outburst had not been as cathartic as she thought it would be, leaving her drained and conflicted. She had had some of her deepest, most secret wishes granted this morning only to have it countered by, to her mind, a punishment worse than death. But wallowing wouldn't help her now.</p>
<p>Hermione gritted her teeth and pulled her occlumency shields higher, drawing on her Gryffindor courage as the lift rolled to a stop, she strode into the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Standing at the front desk she waited impatiently for the clerk to look up. The scrawny, unkempt man continued to stare at the file on his desk as he drawled out a request for her name, identification and wand, only looking up when met with stoney silence.</p>
<p>Once, when she had imitated Bellatrix Lestrange to gain access to her vault, Hermione had felt shaky and mousy when standing before a clerk who had demanded her wand. Now she stood her ground, glaring down her nose and refusing to back down at the realisation that she had collected no form of identification in her rush to escape the tense atmosphere of 12 Grimmauld Place. Bellatrix Lestrange would have been envious of the commanding, superior stance and chilling gaze that had the clerk paling and gulping in fear. Hermione had come to collect her fiancé and no Ministry underling was going to get in her way.</p>
<p>"P-pardon... Pardon me, Miss Granger. If I could have your wand to confirm your magical signature? Then I can assist you with whatever you need," he stuttered out. With a sniff of indignation she handed her wand over, watching carefully as he pressed it to a pad and passed it back. "Apologies again, Miss. It's Ministry policy, is all. What can I do for you?"</p>
<p>"I am here to collect my fiancé, Rodolphus Lestrange," Hermione stated haltingly, the words like ashes in her mouth.</p>
<p>"Right. Okay. Um... I'll just go get him?" he asked, clearly not having expected the Gryffindor Golden Girl to be there for a notorious deatheater. Hermione raised an expectant brow which had him scurrying to collect Lestrange.</p>
<p>He returned a few minutes later with a shabbily dressed Rodolphus Lestrange. She appraised the oldest of her husbands-to-be with trepidation, waiting for a sneer or harsh words but his face remained impassive. He looked unwell and his cheeks were hollowed from weight loss, but his height was just as imposing as she remembered from the battles she had witnessed him in. Rodolphus had steely grey eyes that reminded her of a shark and dark brown, near black hair that would likely sit in luscious waves with a good wash and a decent cut. He was handsome if nothing else, she supposed. </p>
<p>As the clerk stepped behind his desk once more, Rodolphus continued to her. She braced herself for some form of scorn or aspersion. Curiously, none came. He merely took her hand in his, swept into a bow and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. Her magic hummed happily at the contact and she assumed his did too, based on the surprise in his eyes as he straightened. Blushing in embarrassment, she pulled her hand away and wondered at the pounding of her heart. Willing herself to get a grip she offered Rodolphus a nod and a strained smile then turned back to the Ministry employee watching their interaction as though they had just become his favourite soap opera.</p>
<p>"You'll need to sign here to say you agree to everything, Miss. Just a document agreeing that you will take full responsibility for his actions, will accompany him to any parole meetings, are happy for him to have his wand with the limitations placed on it and that the Ministry is innocent of any wrongdoing in case of damage to property or persons." The clerk grimaced at her displeasure, pushed across the document and handed Rodolphus his wand. "He won't be able to cast any advanced magic for the next year, his wand has been blocked for anything above a grade one spell. He won't be allowed in public wizarding spaces for the next two years, the consequences of which are written in this leaflet. If you have any problems with him then let us know and action can be taken. You can use any means necessary to keep him in line outside of causing permanent physical damage. Will that be all, Miss?"</p>
<p>Flaring her nostrils in outrage she spun on her heels and got back in the lift, waiting only long enough for Rodolphus to step through the doors before punching the necessary button with enough vehemence to crack it. She watched how his strong, square jaw tensed as he assessed her quietly. The Ministry had all but enslaved him to her; there was very little she could do to him that she wouldn't be able to explain away. It was a sickening realisation and she decided then and there that she would try to put the past behind her and see him as a new man. He was no longer Rodolphus Lestrange, torturer extraordinaire and convicted deatheater, but Rodolphus Lestrange, her soon to be husband and future father to her children. It was unlikely to work but she was allowed a little Gryffindor delusion every now and again. </p>
<p>"We're meeting the others at a little café by my home in about two hours but I thought you might like to freshen up first?" she asked, trying not to wrinkle her nose in distaste at the baggy, worn and dirty robes he had been supplied with by the Ministry. "Of course, Miss Granger," he replied blandly. </p>
<p>Once they had flooed to Grimmauld Place she showed him to a spare room with an en suite and left him to get ready. She then went and sat on her bed. Her face crumpled as rivers of tears and snot ran down her face, releasing the growing despair she had felt all morning. She gave herself a few moments to grieve for the life she may have had and the woman she could have been before composing herself.</p>
<p>Lestrange had been civil, practically chivalrous, as they were acquainted. Perhaps things were not as dire as they seemed (<em>just keep telling yourself that, Hermione</em>) and some small comfort could be scraped together. None of her husbands were old or wrinkly or unattractive; none of them would be able to get away with harming her with her status and Harry to protect her; none of her matches were openly gay so may actually find her attractive too. She could do this.</p>
<p>A couple of hours later found her outside the room Mr Lestrange occupied wearing a pair of flat pumps that were perfect for running in (just in case) and a determined expression. She'd even managed to tame her mane into silky curls that bounced with each step she took. The door swung open following a firm knock to reveal a much better looking Rodolphus Lestrange. He'd obviously made use of the hairdressing scissors and razor she had left out for Harry a few days ago, his hair now cropped short with a slight wave and the messy stubble on his face styled into a neat moustache and goatee that worked surprisingly well. The black trousers, white shirt and grey blazer she had handed him made him look dashing despite being slightly too short. She easily remedied that with a subtle adjustment charm. Hermione should probably have felt some shame over how attractive she found him but this was going to be her husband, goddammit, and he looked delicious.</p>
<p>"Miss Granger, may I have the honour of escorting you to our meeting?" he said while offering her his arm. </p>
<p>She tucked her hand in his elbow and walked with him out of the house and down the road. The walk was surprisingly peaceful, relaxing even. The May sunshine warmed her pleasantly but there was a smattering of heavy grey clouds on the horizon threatening rain - she hoped it would wait until they made it inside.</p>
<p>"If I might ask, who will we be meeting today?" he questioned softly.</p>
<p>"My other spouses." At his blank look she realised he had not received a letter like the others and was not aware of the full situation. <em>Had he even known it would be me waiting for him at the front desk?</em> she wondered. "There's you, Harry, Professor Snape, Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt, Fred and George Weasley, Greg Goyle and both Malfoys."</p>
<p>"Thank you," he said. </p>
<p>They entered the small café, Biddie's Tearooms, heading up a narrow staircase and through a painted red door into a cosy meeting room. Tense silence welcomed them as she took in the sight of her husbands-to-be. All were sat at the round table, at first not noticing them. Harry wore a thunderous expression directed at Professor Snape who in turn glared between the Malfoys and the twins, who glared right back. Kingsley looked as weary as he always did now he was Minister. Goyle just looked confused and a little bit bored. She felt her magic reach out to Harry, soothing his own as it threatened to release mayhem. </p>
<p>Despite the interaction of their magic, Harry remained unaware of anything outside of his irritation at their old professor and it was Draco who spotted her first. The Slytherin stood and wiped his face of any expression as the other men rose to their feet. Rodolphus led her to an empty seat next to the twins and pulled it out for her. Once she was seated everyone returned to their own and Rodolphus sat between her and Lucius. No one explained the animosity she had witnessed, content to play innocent (the twins) or scowl at the table (Snape).</p>
<p>"Well, I think we'd best get started then," Kingsley said into the bleak silence.</p>
<p>Kingsley flicked his wand, spelling a stack of parchment to each of them. Hermione skimmed through hers with well trained eye of someone who had been forced to dig through piles of Wizengamot minutes. On the top lay a list of Ministry recommended topics for the spouses' first meeting. This included but was not limited to: ceremony; living arrangements; and marital duties. Hermione was sorely tempted to put her running shoes to use.</p>
<p>"Let's start with the ceremony shall we?" Kingsley began as they all shuffled through their pages. "Does anyone have a preference for venue?"</p>
<p>Thus began a long discussion on every intricate detail of the wedding ceremony. As Hermione had always thought her wedding would be very different she had very little input to offer, being generally apathetic towards the ceremony. Nevertheless, they never made a decision without asking her opinion. So far they had decided that they would be having a simple traditional ceremony at the Ministry in a day's time. They would then have their reception at Malfoy manner upon Lucius' insistence that they make use of the ballroom. Harry insisted on a "night-do", bless his muggle raised heart, for friends and family only. He'd stressed that no business or political contacts should be invited to that, with a pointed look at Kingsley and Lucius. Press would be welcome at the first two events but not the latter. The only upsetting moment when Hermione had been asked who she would like to stand for her and she'd chosen the Weasleys, everyone besides the twins and Harry likely assuming her parents were either dead or disgusted by her. She wondered if they would have been.</p>
<p>"Let's move on to the living arrangements, shall we?" Harry prompted, steering the conversation away from the grim topic before anyone could put their foot in it. "Where we live won't be suitable and the only other property I own still needs extensive work from... Well. You know what." </p>
<p>Everyone offered their own properties but none were suitable, either being too small or, in the case of Malfoy Manor, too traumatic. They were arguing about where they should purchase a house and what it would need when Hermione began rifling through her bag. The men of the room trailed off from their debate over whether or not a ballroom was actually necessary ("Honestly, Lucius! How many balls do you think we'll be having with nine children running around?"), giving their wife-to-be bewildered and somewhat wary looks. With a quiet exclamation of achievement she withdrew a small framed photograph and gave it a nostalgic smile, before handing it to Rodolphus. </p>
<p>"I believe that I have the solution, gentleman," she said primly. Waiting for the photograph to make it all the way around the table and be placed in the centre before continuing. "That is a small estate in Hertfordshire that has been in my family for several generations. It has functioning water, gas and electricity left in from before my grandparents passed a few years ago. We will need to do some quick work to get it fit for children and magic but there is plenty of living space and additional space for any facilities we may wish to put in. I've already installed a laboratory, though you will likely need to alter it somewhat, Professor. The wards will need updating too."</p>
<p>It was the most she had spoken since arriving and they all seemed to take a moment to reassess her. Most of them likely hadn't realised that she was wealthy in her own right. And she was sure a few of them were unused to a witch resolving issues where they could not.</p>
<p>"I would be satisfied with this arrangement. And none of us have any small children currently so we would have time to prepare the property for that," Lucius stated, pursing his lips when her attention quickly moved from him to a sheepish Harry. </p>
<p>"Ah. Actually, I have my godson, Teddy, living with me. Molly and Arthur are going to keep him with them for the next week or so before he moves in. He's only two so everything will need to be ready for him," Harry said. </p>
<p>His and Hermione's gazes flitted from face to face, absorbing the reactions. Professor Snape was openly sneering, a reaction which Hermione knew would need to be nipped in the bud for Teddy's sake, but the others were either smiling or impassive. A better reaction than she had hoped for.</p>
<p>"I can go today and set it up like we did Headquarters, if you want me to? You'll need to spend some time with him before we get too busy in the next few days. It'll only take a few hours if someone can assist me?" Hermione asked.</p>
<p>"But won't you need to collect your dress, Miss Granger?" Lucius questioned. </p>
<p>"I actually pulled my Mum's wedding dress out of storage when I realised I'd need one. I've had it adjusted and subtly updated of course, but I wanted to have something of hers as my something old," she replied. "I just need some shoes and some accessories to fit the theme."</p>
<p>"Me and Greg can get you those, Granger. We can get suits for everyone else too while we're out," Draco cut in. She smiled her gratitude and nodded in agreement. </p>
<p>"Sounds like a plan, Mione. Mr Malfoy, I'm presuming you will be in charge of planning both parties?" Harry asked. Lucius nodded his agreement with a twitch of annoyance at taking direction from him. </p>
<p>"I'll go with you, Mione. And-" one twin started (<em>Fred</em>, she thought). </p>
<p>"I'll go with Malfoy to improve the after party," finished the other (<em>definitely George</em>), grinning wickedly. Her inner dread of how the interactions between the Weasley and elder Malfoy would go was interrupted by a gentle touch to her hand. </p>
<p>Rodolphus quickly pulled his hand back as her eyes flitted to it and cleared his throat, visibly embarrassed over reaching for her. Hermione felt her face heat with her own embarrassment, wondering if any of the others could hear the staccato of her heart. Honestly, she needed to get a grip of these absurd feelings towards the deatheater. </p>
<p><em>Yes, but he's </em>your<em> deatheater</em>, a voice whispered in her head.</p>
<p><em>Shut up!</em> she hissed back.</p>
<p>"If you would be amenable to stopping by Lestrange Manor I have several books on warding and protective magics that haven't been raided by the ministry to aid us in our endeavour?" he offered.</p>
<p>Hermione thanked him quietly, her eyes lighting up at the gift he was offering to her. Purebloods were notoriously protective of their magical libraries, relying on the knowledge they gathered to give them edge over the other wizarding families. It was a great honour to be granted access. Despite her soon becoming his wife there was no need to gift her this. It was touching too that the knowledge would be used to protect their new family and those dear to her.</p>
<p>"I will come along too and assess the facilities," Professor Snape stated, breaking the intense gaze Rodolphus had pinned Hermione with.</p>
<p>"Well, I will book everything necessary for the ceremony and invite the press. If you all invite whoever you feel necessary, that should be everything for the day of and the living arrangements. We, uh, just have one last topic to deal with for now. The - uh - marital duties," Kingsley managed to force out with an apologetic glance towards her. There was no air left in the room, she was sure of it. <em>Why was there no air?</em> "We have seven days to, um, consummate the marriage. Then the law mandates you... Share a bed with each of us once every ten days while using fertility potions if, uh, unsuccessful after the first month. Should we make a plan of what order we will go in?"</p>
<p>Their eyes rested on her heavily. She was sure she must be as red as the door she came through. Unbidden, an image of the ten of them came to mind, of their bodies writhing in pleasure and their many forms encompassing her, reaching their release through her in one way or another jumped into her head. Stamping down such thoughts, she fixed her gaze to the far wall just to the left of Professor Snape's head. Somehow the embarrassment of the situation was ten times worse knowing that she was reasonably attracted to all of them and was likely to enjoy most of their time together in that capacity.</p>
<p>"I don't see why it should matter that much. Perhaps we should simply go oldest to youngest?" Lucius said with a superior look towards Harry, who would be the last in that arrangement.</p>
<p>"I think you'll find it does matter to me. It matters a great deal. I barely know yourself or Mr Lestrange and I am not comfortable losing my virginity to a perfect stranger!" Shocked silence followed her declaration. Refusing to slip back into her earlier shyness, she raised her chin and looked at her best friend and stated clearly: "Youngest to oldest."</p>
<p>Rather than move on as she hoped, all but Harry stared at her. She huffed in exasperation. Wizards really were a bit dense sometimes.</p>
<p>"I don't know why you're all surprised! I spent my adolescence fighting a mad man and the last two years putting everything back together and fighting this law!" She rolled her eyes and raised her eyebrows at Harry's amused grin.</p>
<p>"Just surprised that none of those idiots in school made a move, Mione," Fred said. </p>
<p>"Obviously didn't know how to handle a fine witch like you," George added, waggling his eyebrows suggestively and leering as she rolled her eyes once more. </p>
<p>"I believe, Miss Granger, we were all under the impression that you had had affairs with a number of wizards during your schooling and were currently in some form of triad with Mr Potter, here, and the younger Mr Weasley," added Lucius smoothly. There was a predatory gleam in his eyes she didn't like the look of.</p>
<p>"Do you believe everything you read in the Prophet?" she sniffed in indignation. She turned a scowl on to Harry, who was barely holding himself in, shoulders shaking with restrained laughter and eyes watering with mirth. "You can shut it, Harry James Potter, or we'll start discussing your dating history." </p>
<p>That shut him up. He paled in horror at the threat. Hermione stared down each of her wizards until each looked away, except for the twins who wore matching flirtatious grins. The tense moment was broken by Kingsley who cleared his throat. </p>
<p>"I'm not completely sure that age is the best factor to go off of," Kingsley said with some hesitation. "It may cause something of a divide between us all as there is such a large age gap with some of us."</p>
<p>"Fine. Harry is still first," she stated firmly before Lucius could open his mouth again. She pulled a small bowl and some parchment and pens from her bag, handing out the parchment and placing the bowl in the centre of the table next to the picture of their new home. "We'll draw names."</p>
<p>Some were less pleased than others with the arrangement, but they all complied. Each wrote their name on a small scrap of parchment and tossed it into the bowl. She noted the twins only put in one piece of parchment for the both of them and tried valiantly not to think of the implications. When they had all finished Hermione picked out the first name.</p>
<p>"Draco," she read. She was surprised to see a pleased glint to his eye before drawing another name. "Professor Snape."</p>
<p>Hermione attempted to read his expression but his occlumencey shields must have been higher than Mount Everest. Offering him a timid smile she moved onto the next. The scrap of parchment was inscribed with two names instead of one.</p>
<p>"Fred and George." She ignored the curious looks the others sent her and the twins in favour of continuing with the next name. "Mr Malfoy." </p>
<p>Lucius appeared content knowing that he would not be last and finally relaxed into his chair. She carried on reading out names until the bowl was empty once more. Rodolphus had been next, followed by Kingsley then Goyle. She had briefly wondered if Goyle had any idea what was going on, so vacant did his expression seem.</p>
<p>Kingsley wrapped up the meeting, ensuring everyone knew their jobs before insisting they eat lunch together. Hermione had sat there uncomfortably as the twins had insisted on serving her from the selection of light food they had ordered and Rodolphus poured a glass of lemon water for her. The conversation began fairly stilted but soon the room buzzed with different discussions. Harry asked the twins about a new product they had been working on (some kind of sweet that made you float like a balloon that was based on Harry's accidental magic incident with Marge Dursley), they had been having trouble with the potions involved (they were making people horribly gassy) and couldn't figure out the solution. Surprisingly Professor Snape jumped in to offer suggestions which led to an excited tirade from the twins about the other potion related problems they were having, taking the opportunity to pick the potion master's brain. Kingsley and Lucius were discussing some potential moves they could make in the Ministry, making the most of the situation as only true Slytherins could. Draco were engaging Hermione in some lighthearted gossip about various matches while Rodolphus and Goyle watched them all quietly.</p>
<p>After finishing their lunch they all prepared to leave and complete their respective tasks. Hermione stood awkwardly waiting for her fiancé's to join her in aparating to the estate when Kingsley came over to her. She noticed that everyone was doing their best to covertly watch them.</p>
<p>"I must get back to the office, my dear. I will see you tomorrow when we marry unless you require me for anything sooner," he said before pressing a firm kiss to her lips then a gentler kiss to her brow. Her stomach swooped as her magic acknowledged his. The exchange was rather reassuring, his presence and affection making her feel safe and warm.</p>
<p>Next came Draco and Goyle. Goyle merely pecked her lips shyly, but Draco gave her a deeper kiss. The kiss only ended at an almost appropriate stage when he grabbed her bum, causing her to squeak and pull away, startled. He left after Kingsley and Goyle, throwing a cheeky smirk and a wink over his shoulder.</p>
<p>Harry and George each pressed a kiss to her cheek, promising to see her at the Burrow. That only left Lucius to say farewell to. She expected a gentlemanly kiss on her hand or even an indifferent nod. What she did not expect was a toe curling full frontal snog.</p>
<p>Hermione had only a brief moment to panic as he swooped down on her. He kissed her as though he were a starving man and she was a feast. Moaning in pleasure, she sank her hands into his silky locks and allowed him entrance to explore her mouth. His hands cradled her head allowing him to take complete control of the kiss. As he pulled away she couldn't help but try to follow, reluctant to lose the connection, making him chuckle and press gentle pecks to her bruised pout. That was arguably the hottest kiss of her life. His gaze was both promisingly heated and annoyingly smug. </p>
<p>"I will see you tomorrow, pet. Don't be late," he teased, leaving her standing there decidedly off-kilter and strangely bereft. </p>
<p>An amused (and somewhat disgruntled) Rodolphus took her arm, clearing his throat to gain her attention. She looked over to her other fiancé's in mortification, noting Fred glaring daggers through the door as though he were willing the elder Malfoy's head to explode and Professor Snape pursing his lips in displeasure. He wouldn't meet her eyes. </p>
<p>Hermione realised what the elder Malfoy had just done - staked his claim. He'd been trying to establish his dominance over her and the other men. It was what she had expected to happen at some stage, but she had never prepared for such sneaky tactics.</p>
<p>
  <em>Well, two could play that game. </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A Very Bad Day</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for your comments, birthday wishes and support! I will reply to you all soon but for now have a chapter from the perspective of Snape.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Severus Snape was having a bad day. This wasn't exactly surprising when you looked at all of the days he'd experienced so far. The data definitely showed he was statistically more likely to have a bad day than a good, or even just OK, day. But, even bearing that in mind, today had been a very very bad day.</p>
<p>He should hardly be surprised, there had been plenty of build up and more than enough warning, more than enough time to disappear and escape this wretched farce too. Instead he'd stayed, ironically, because he had faith in Hermione Granger being insufferable enough to cow the Wizengamot. Now here he was, marrying a girl half his age and his bloody student at that!</p>
<p>Once he had accepted that it was too late to flee he had also accepted that he would be miserable for the rest of his life anyway, he may as well provide his misery some company. Severus would marry whichever unfortunate shrew he was assigned knowing that he was as incapable of loving her as she was him. They'd do their duty - he'd sire a welp he would at the bare minimum treat better than his father treated him then they'd ignore each other until they divorced. It was a perfectly elegant solution. This, on the other hand, was torture.</p>
<p>A dark cloud had settled over him from the outset of the day but had turned thunderous upon receiving his letter from the Ministry. Hermione Granger. Of all of the witches he could have been paired with of course it would be a good little Gryffindor like Hermione Granger, the Gryffindor Golden Girl as the papers had dubbed her. She'd been a thorn in his side throughout her schooling and, though they had been civil since his true role in the war was revealed, they would never be friends. Repeatedly he had tried to intimidate her to keep her in line and prevent her from meddling in his plans, yet she refused to yield, always undermining his every move and threatening to break his cover. </p>
<p>Because the truth was: he thought she was rather brilliant. Hermione Granger was the most intelligent student he'd ever taught, had single-handedly managed the catastrophes that were Potter and Weasley and was the brightest witch of her age not just for her wit, but also for her ability to light up a room when one of her Gryffindor idiots made her smile. Yes, she had the terrible awkwardness all teenagers were cursed to bear. But it was clear, even then, she would outgrow it and flower into a charming and powerful witch. He'd often found himself thrilled to have a student who actually paid attention and wished he could have nurtured that talent rather than having to visibly crush it to maintain his cover. </p>
<p>That wasn't to say that she was perfect - she was obnoxious, arrogant, stubborn as a mule, full of that aggravating Gryffindor rashness and irritating beyond belief - but still a wonderful student who would someday be a woman he could respect if not admire. So Severus had had to teach himself how to hate her and had now become so good at it he wasn't sure he could stop. Knowing Miss Granger as he did, he knew she would try to make each of her marriages work, she wouldn't be content with ignoring each other for over two decades. Which meant he would either be forced to change himself for her until he was unrecognisable, lying to himself and the world to make her happy, or to watch the compassion leave her eyes and bitterness set in as he hurt her again and again. The parallels to his betrayal of Lily would be too much to bear and it would break the tiny human part of him left irrevocably. </p>
<p>That, of course, brought him to thinking about his wife-to-be's other husbands. It seemed that he was doomed to share every woman who should've been his with a Potter. When Harry Potter had stood on the witness stand and proclaimed Severus' innocence he'd been infuriated that he once again owed his life to a member of that family. To add insult to injury the brat used the memories that Severus near enough died getting to him to clear his name. The whole sodding world now knew his darkest, deepest secrets what with Potter not even bothering to cut out the memories irrelevant to the case. He'd become a tabloid sensation overnight. The tragic tale of unrequited love and a deatheater's redemption thrilled the public, even his biggest critics suddenly adored him. </p>
<p>All he wanted was to finally get some potions research done, sink into a nice depression with some bitterness and maybe alcoholism thrown in for good measure (keep up the family traditions and all that rot) and let the world sort out it's own problems for once. But no, he had to deal with adoring (delusional) fans, potions masters who had once besmirched his name now harassing him for his "expert opinion" and the saviour of the wizarding world who had a strange obsession with befriending Severus. While he could admit that Harry was not his father, and that even his father hadn't been the swine he was in school by the time he died, he would never like the boy. It was a cruel irony that, now he had done his duty by the boy and should be free from any and all insufferable Gryffindors, he'd be stuck with Potter for decades to come. </p>
<p>He'd also be trapped in a house with the Weasley twins. Wickedly intelligent though they may be, their proclivity for chaos made them headaches in human form. They had caused him enough problems in the classroom that he knew they would be nightmares now without the restrictions of Hogwarts (not that those had stopped them anyway). His best chance of survival there would be avoidance. And Severus was nothing if not a survivor. </p>
<p>Then, of course, there were his old associates. As if it wasn't bad enough to lump him with Potter and the Weasley twins he was to be forced to cohabitate with two high level deatheaters, both of which were likely to want him dead. The once arrogant peacock, now bitter but no less manipulative arse that was Lucius Malfoy was likely a mix of enraged over the loss of his family's pureblood status and gleeful about how much political power he could amass with this match. Severus would have to watch his back around the aristocrat in case he was seen as a threat. He'd have to watch his wife's (and here Severus' scowl deepened) back too.</p>
<p>Rodolphus was an unknown element. The elder Lestrange brother had been as private and taciturn as Severus himself, which was impressive really. He'd committed as many atrocities as his late wife had but never seemed to revel in it like she did, simply going about his duties impassively and efficiently. Severus had seen him slaughter men, women and children with nary a blink of an eye. Yet, he was fiercely protective of his little brother and often worked to curb Bellatrix's worst impulses, covering the results up where he failed to keep her from the Dark Lord's ire. The question was: would he count a muggleborn wife and the wizards he shared her with as family? If he did they'd be safer than ever before, even from each other. If not they'd be dead within the week. </p>
<p>Severus had little trust in the measures that were being put in place by the idiots running the Ministry. Deatheaters such as Rodolphus could and would break free of any magical restrictions placed on them as soon as they wished to. Perhaps they would play along for a while, but before long they would take action. The Ministry were fools to think otherwise and Severus did not trust them one bit, what with the way they had all come out of this squeaky clean. </p>
<p>He did trust Kingsley, he supposed. The ex-auror had been battling from within the Ministry for as long as he could remember, entrenched in the MLE as he quietly schemed for the Order and stood firm against the infectious corruption of the institution. Kingsley was neither a pawn, as most Order members had proven to be, or a foolhardy Gryffindor like the Golden Trio. To an extent he was as much of an unknown as Rodolphus, but Severus had learnt to trust his own instincts and back them up with reliable data. Severus trusted Kingsley. Kingsley had never made a single selfish move in his whole career, only ever acting in the best interests of the Order, had never been needlessly cruel that Severus could see and had proven himself to be a staunch ally as soon as Severus' name was cleared. Therefore Severus was right to and would continue to trust Kingsley. </p>
<p>The last two husbands he could manage. Draco was likely overjoyed at the match and Miss Granger had best watch out as the Slytherin Prince would be hell bent on wooing her. The poor boy had been under the delusion that he had hidden his crush quite well at school, but it had been as overt as his obsession with Potter. He'd been pulling her pigtails ineffectively since the beginning of his education at Hogwarts and had unsurprisingly gotten nowhere. It had driven Lucius mad for a while until he had made the girl's lack of reciprocation a "teachable moment" on blood purity. But Draco had still liked her. Severus hoped, for his godson's sake, she could like him back. </p>
<p>Goyle was a bit of a surprise. The deatheater's son was hardly what he imagined Granger's ideal match to be. How could the oaf have enough power to be on a par with them all? At least the idiot would be easily kept under thumb by his wife, a Malfoy or Severus himself. </p>
<p>Severus had honestly not seen a reason to see his wife-to-be or the rest of their "family" until the abominable ceremony or whenever they were expected to move in together. That plan had come crashing down around his ears when Harry bloody Potter had turned up on his doorstep with a summons. The nerve of the pair of them! He'd been dragged to the torture session in the annoyingly quaint café (that he noted was near to the old headquarters - it was good to know where his new wife lived, he supposed) under the threat of Potter giving his address out to Rita Skeeter. It was a bizarrely Slytherin threat, for which he had his respect as much as his contempt. As Severus had stood there, agog at being bested by a Gryffindor, Potter had merely smiled serenely and chirped "shall we go then, Professor?" and that had been that. </p>
<p>It had been two years since he had seen most of the attendees, except for Kingsley, Potter and Draco, nuisances that they were. The last time he had been so close to Hermione Granger, close enough to admire the smattering of freckles across her cheeks and fire in her eyes, he had been lay dying in the Shrieking Shack. Granger had been on the run for over a year by that point and it had really shown. She'd been scrawny and pale in malnutrition, hair dry and wiry as it cried out for nourishment and eyes sunken in like the corpse he thought he was about to become. She'd looked like hell. The witch he met at the café was not the same witch.</p>
<p>Hermione Jean Granger was easily the second most beautiful woman he'd ever met (and he'd worked incredibly hard to not think about the witch who held first place), with her bouncing curls, sharp mind and dazzling smiles. Despite clearly being nervous she had been wondrously capable of taking command of them all when necessary. She'd ignored the tense atmosphere she'd walked into (which was Potter's fault, thank you very much) and had been polite and even friendly to each of them. It was clear that, while she would not play favourites with the rest of them, she already cared for Potter deeply - he would be her real husband while they begged for scraps of her attention. Severus would not beg though, he'd lasted this long without family or affection and he could manage the same for the rest of his life. </p>
<p>When they arrived at the Granger estate following Granger and Lestrange's trip to his library (which the rest of them were not invited to) Severus had been pleased to realise that the house and grounds were spacious enough that he would be able to avoid his wife and her young lover for days at a time with hardly any effort. They'd begun by scouting the perimeter, each lending their magic to the wards as Lestrange referred to handy texts he had gifted her that they could use to reinforce the protections at a later date. Next Severus had had to grit his teeth as Granger had put innumerable precautions in place on the grounds for Lupin's brat. Just when he thought he had been rid of the Marauders for good he had to be confined to a house with not one but two of their hell spawns!</p>
<p>Finally Granger had led them through the grand but homely house, passed cosy sitting rooms and an ornate dining hall, down two flights of stairs and along a dreary lower level hall to reach a heavy wooden door. The containment and protection spells cast upon the door were palpable from the other end of the hall. He cast her a questioning look that went unanswered, whatever Miss Granger had been playing with must have been dangerous to require such spell work.</p>
<p>The other three left him there with instructions on how to find them in the upper levels when he was done. With their departure he set to work cataloguing the equipment already in situe and what ingredients had been collected in the lab, working out what he could find in his own supplies to fill the gaps as he went. He was pleasantly surprised to find that the lab was well equipped for most potion work, including experimental work, and he'd not need to add much. It didn't take him long to get through everything, and he really didn't want to join the others until he had to, so he returned to the far corner of the lab where he had noticed some notes left behind by Granger. </p>
<p>Upon first glance it appeared to be rantings on memory charms, which were typically used to improve the ability to recall information in a given situation or time frame. The scribbled notes then moved onto memory enhancing potions. Apparently the little know-it-all thought she didn't know enough and felt she needed to expand her mind magically to do that. It was only when he read the progressively more panicked notes on mind and memory restoration charms and potions that he realised that her motivations may not be so shallow. </p>
<p>"Not strong enough," he muttered to himself. The potion in question was one of the strongest restoration potions in the world, if that wasn't strong enough what would be? </p>
<p>Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, he ran through the list of victims Granger may be trying to cure, it wasn't a particularly long list. The Longbottom's had perished in the first wave of the plague and as far as he knew none of Granger's friends or the other Order members had experienced memory issues. This was worth investigating, or so his instincts told him. </p>
<p>As he gathered the notes, having decided to take them with him to peruse at his leisure, he found one page amongst the rest on a memory altering charm. It worked similar to obliviate but instead of simply removing memories it also implanted new ones. Depending on the strength the spell was cast at, the effect would wear off within six months, nine if the caster was particularly powerful. Intriguingly there was a small comment jotted at the bottom that simply read "how did I do this with obliviate?". It appeared to Severus that the real question that she wanted answered was "how do I undo it?". He was once again astounded by the power Miss Granger was able to weild, he didn't think even the Dark Lord or Albus had the power for such a feat. Perhaps Potter would but the idiot boy lacked the finesse. </p>
<p>Stashing his stolen goods in has many fabrics, Severus made his way to the family wing to inform his fiancé of his departure, mapping out the house as he went. He found her with whichever Weasley twin had accompanied them in a master bedroom that must have been for the Lord of the estate once upon a time. The room had obviously been freshly decorated, warm yellow walls were complimented by soothing blue curtains and sweet dusky pink furnishings and accents. It was very feminine and soft, yet was not as juvenile as would be expected. Severus still sneered in disgust at the bright atmosphere of the chambers, contorting his face further when he took in the way the pair were stood. Weasley held Granger tight against him with both arms around her waist and hands just slightly below what propriety would allow, her arms were flung around his neck as she beamed up at him. They weren't even married and they were all already unbearable to be around!</p>
<p>Severus cleared his throat sharply, ignoring the strange sensation in his stomach as Miss Granger's dazzling eyes landed on him with more warmth than he expected. Extracting herself from her young fiancé, she came over to him. They stood just outside the door to what he presumed was her bedroom, Weasley watching cautiously from the other side of the room, clearly unimpressed at being interrupted. Hermi- Miss Granger gazed up at him curiously through her long eyelashes.</p>
<p>"Is everything alright, Professor?" she asked. </p>
<p>"I have taken a full inventory and will provide what I need from my own stores. Your own were... adequate." In truth her laboratory had been exemplary, and only an advanced potion master such as he would require anything further. He wasn't about to boost her ego by saying so though.</p>
<p>"Would you like to choose a bedroom while you're here then?" she offered shyly. </p>
<p>"No... Thank you, Miss Granger, but I must get back to my work before this asinine arrangement detains me for the next week," he stiltedly said. Severus ignored how wrong her crestfallen expression looked. What did the girl expect? Him to moon over her? "I will simply take whichever room is left."</p>
<p>"Oh. I guess I will see you tomorrow then, Professor," she muttered, focusing on his chin instead of his eyes now.</p>
<p>"Indeed," Severus agreed with no small amount of distaste. </p>
<p>They both stood there for an uncomfortably long moment, at a loss for how to act in their new dynamic. When he could take no more of the tension Severus turned to go. He'd hardly turned ninety degrees before he spun back and, in a move that surprised them both, took Miss Granger's hand and pressed a lingering kiss to the back of it. Ignoring the giddy dance his magical core had launched itself into at the brief contact, he swept away.</p>
<p>
  <em>What the fuck was that? </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Who Comes To Claim Her?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hermione gets hitched.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi all!</p><p>This chapter took 3 attempts to write and still frustrates me. I hope you all like it. Let me know what you think because weddings are hard to write!</p><p>Again, thank you so much for the comments! I loved some of the feedback and ideas too!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The bustle around the house was making Hermione's head spin. She sat before her dresser in her mother's wedding dress while Ginny added the finishing touches to her makeup and Molly fussed over her hair, wishing they would just hurry up already. Hermione's stomach roiled with nerves, tumbling over itself far too violently to be described as butterflies, and she couldn't help but fidget in discomfort. Downstairs she could hear Ron bumbling around, waiting as impatiently as she was. Fleur was somewhere too but her steps were too graceful to be heard throughout the house, unlike Ron. She was fairly certain that she had heard another voice at some point but must have imagined it, a nice descent into insanity and hallucinations seemed quite fitting for the mood of the day. She shifted again and Ginny huffed as she quickly moved the brush away from her eyes to avoid the wrong kind of smudging of the eyeshadow. </p><p>"I'm sorry! Aren't we done yet?" Hermione snapped. </p><p>"Now, dear, take some deep breaths," Molly commanded. "There's no use getting worked up. We're all here with you and we're going to get through this." </p><p>"Quit your whining! At least all of yours are straight," Ginny grumbled, dabbing a dot of highlighter to the inner corners of her eyes. The redhead had been in an understandably foul mood ever since she'd been assigned not only her ex-boyfriend, Dean Thomas, but his very very gay boyfriend, Seamus Finnigan, as two of her eight husbands. </p><p>"Bit homophobic," Ron said, sticking his head through the doorway before walking off again. </p><p>"You know that's not what I meant Ron!" Ginny screamed at him. She gave Hermione a desperate look. "I'm really happy for Dean and Seamus, they're really good together. Now I'm going to be stuck in the middle forcing two guys who don't want to sleep with me to be with me right in front of their boyfriend." </p><p>"At least they'll get to live together. And there's no reason the vows can't be edited so that they can carry on with their relationship," Molly pointed out. </p><p>"I know. But I'm not just getting in the way, I'm going to be rubbing it in their faces! Seamus said I was getting everything I ever wanted. They're both going to hate me!" Ginny exclaimed before returning to glaring at Hermione. "None of yours are gay and all of them are single or as good as. So quit whining, Hermione!" </p><p>Hermione answered this with a look. Her nostrils flared, her painted pink lips pursed and her eyes turned sharp. It was a look that said "I am about to be forced to marry four deatheaters, including our old professor who hates us, and I'm having to do this in the middle of the bloody ministry in front of half of wizarding Britain with a smile on my face, so <em>you</em> quit <em>your</em> whining!". It was a very strong look. Most people wouldn't have been able to withstand it, but Ginny Weasley wasn't most people.</p><p>"Girls, that is enough! There is no use fighting with each other. You are both in a horrendous situation and you should be supporting each other not sniping at each other," Molly scolded. </p><p>"Sorry, Mum." "Sorry, Molly." They chimed. </p><p>Satisfied with their apologies, Molly returned to the elegant up-do Hermione's hair had been pulled into (honestly, Hermione thought the pair of them may have just transfigured a wig onto her head because there was no possible way her hair could look like that). Ginny and Hermione exchanged a glance that was a mix of apologetic and commiserating, neither witch truly sure who had it worse, and returned to the issue of her makeup. Not that Hermione thought it mattered much what she looked like. The men who found her attractive did so because of their friendships and her personality, she doubted it had much to do with her looks considering they had known her in her awkward (and toothier) stage of life. The other men were unlikely to have a worse opinion about their bride if they were marrying an actual pig in a dress, so much was their contempt for her, she was sure. </p><p>Just as both Weasley's finished their respective tasks Fleur entered carrying two jewellery boxes and a shoe box. The smile she sent to them all was so radiant that the room itself felt a little brighter and the atmosphere a little lighter. She brought the boxes over to them and placed them in front of Hermione with a sly twist of her lips. Hermione twitched nervously. </p><p>"You 'ave 'ad a delivery from one of your fiancés," Fleur explained. Her smile got slightly more wicked, if that was even possible. </p><p><em>Ah</em>, Hermione thought. <em>This must be the accessories Draco was going to pick up.</em> </p><p>Mildly annoyed by Fleur's theatrics, Hermione opened the shoe box first. The cornflower blue pumps inside were made of soft, flexible material and had small enough kitten heels that she was confident she wouldn't fall over in them. Detailed embroidery depicted twisting ivy, soft pale purple aster flowers and white daisies. They were exquisite.</p><p>"There was a note," Fleur stated, handing her a small envelope. The note it contained was handwritten on heavy, rich paper. </p><p>Draco's neat script read:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>Granger, </p>
  <p>I've been informed that it's a tradition among muggles for the bride to wear something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. I thought your wedding shoes could be your something blue. I also took the liberty of buying you something to match your outfit to be your something new.</p>
  <p>I'll see you at the Ministry for our wedding.</p>
  <p>Yours,</p>
  <p>Draco</p>
  <p> </p>
</blockquote><p>The thought that had gone into the act, the time spent learning about muggle customs, about her heritage, the care taken to support her in those customs, brought her to tears. Draco had been awful. He had been a bully, a brute and a blood supremacist, yes, but he had also been the physical embodiment of all the things that terrified her about the wizarding world. Hermione had faced scarier things than Draco Malfoy, even at the age of eleven - a troll, Snape, a gigantic murderous chess set, Voldemort (who had been on the back of Quirrel's head, even if they hadn't known it at the time) - yet those instances had been fairly spaced out and always focused on Harry. But Draco had always been right there with his cruel remarks and superiority complex, ready to remind her that she did not belong, would never truly belong, in the wizarding world. </p><p>Now here he was, sweeping her off of her feet one grand gesture at a time. He'd shown his acceptance of her heritage and left her reeling. She wished that she could go to him right that second and demand to know why he was being so kind, that or kiss him. </p><p>Hermione blinked back the tears that had sprung to her eyes, determined not to spoil her makeup - she really didn't have the patience to sit there any longer while it was fixed. There was barely enough patience left in her for her to sit still while the three other witches added the accessories to her outfit, Molly also adding a small jewelled comb to her hair that she was lending to her for the day as her something borrowed, and while Ginny conjured a tall mirror for her to see her full image in. </p><p>Hermione had to admit that their hard work had paid off. The dress was modest, the A-line style accentuating her waist without clinging so tight she felt self-conscious and the sleeves that sat just off her shoulders kept her from worrying over her cleavage with just enough of a dip for it to peak over. The layers around the skirt made the small part of her that had once sung along to Disney songs feel like a princess. Her hair was pulled back from her face in an elaborate twist on either side, coming together at the back to twist again before flowing from the bottom in silky curls. The diamonds in Molly's jewelled comb contrasted wonderfully against her dark hair, making it look deeper and richer and bringing out the different hues present. Her makeup was blessedly subtle and not at all stifling. Most witches used beauty charms for the same effects Ginny had achieved, little did they know that muggle makeup applied with a simple preservation spell lasted far longer. Lips soft, glossy pink and eyes smoky brown with a dash of highlighter to her cheekbones and inner eyes, Hermione looked the part of blushing bride, but she was also every inch the sultry temptress she hadn't known was lurking inside her. It was more than a little startling. </p><p>The additions Draco had made to the ensemble really were perfect. A teardrop shaped cornflower blue sapphire no bigger than the nail on her little finger sat on a delicate silver chain. Around her wrist sat a chain of daisies made from matching sapphires, dazzling diamonds and amethysts, which complimented her shoes and comb perfectly. Her shoes were hidden by her skirts for now but hopefully would be able to be seen occasionally, maybe when dancing later. </p><p>In short, Hermione looked beautiful. Although, she was very pleased to say that she still looked like herself, the transformation merely drawing attention to what was already there rather than covering it up. Maybe this makeup lark was worth doing more often (<em>probably not, who has the time?</em>). </p><p>And then it was time. Finished cooing over Hermione, Molly clapped her hands thrice and told them to get a move on. What felt like moments later Hermione was stepping through Kingsley's private floo in his office, followed immediately by everyone else who had been helping her prepare plus Ron. A quiet buzz of anticipation and no small amount of dread drowned out the sound of Molly firing off orders to each person, barely anything registered until she was stood by the door with her arm through Ron's, being handed a bouquet of purple asters, large white daisies, cornflowers, nigella and baby's breath. The music started playing and it was time.</p><p>When Hermione was asked many years later what she remembered of her wedding day she would hardly comment on the crowd amassed in the Ministry foyer, or the journalists attempting to get the prize photo for their publication, and she barely noticed the hideous new sculpture that had replaced the one with the muggles being put in their "proper" place (she knew, in theory, that the new statue should be seen as an improvement, but the patronising bronze effigy of a witch, wizard and what was supposed to be a rather simple looking muggle smiling hand in hand made her cringe). What she would remember was the way Ron had squeezed her arm in support as her steps faltered at the end of the aisle. She would remember the sight of Minerva McGonagall handing Mrs Weasley a handkerchief, both dabbing their eyes surreptitiously. She would remember how dazzling Ginny looked as she glided along in front of them. And, of course, she would remember with perfect clarity how handsome her husbands looked. </p><p>Each of the grooms wore matching black dress robes, carefully selected by Draco the previous day, with a single nigella flower pinned to their lapel. They all looked so calm and composed, even the twins who were usually a blur off energy and chaos. Each had their own style and presence, but all were equally captivating to her. Someone had actually managed to tame Harry's hair. </p><p>Hermione floated down the aisle with her best friend at her side. The music was sweet and hopeful, the crowds silent now as they avidly watched the spectacle. She thought she saw a glimmer of appreciation in all of the grooms' faces but only four of them were openly pleased. Draco looked like he wanted to eat her whole so desirous did he seem, the twins were grinning in a soft, adoring way and Harry gazed at her with such love she thought she may explode in joy. His whole face was taken up by his beaming smile, sparkling eyes crinkling at the corners. </p><p>She and Ron came to a halt in the centre of the semi-circle her grooms formed. Handing her flowers to Ginny, Hermione turned to the officiant. He was an elderly wizard with a weathered face to match. His eyes were dull and bleary, his hands were gnarled where he clutched an ancient, crumbling tome and his hair stuck out at odd angles in white tufts. He was not unlike the priest in The Princess Bride which caused Hermione to have to stifle a giggle. </p><p>"Who comes before Lady Magic to offer herself in bonded matrimony?" the officiant asked. </p><p>"I, Hermione Jean Granger, a witch strong in power and virtue, come before Lady Magic to offer myself in bonded matrimony," she replied, soliciting shocked and curious murmurs from the audience. Hermione was quite proud of how steady her voice was. </p><p>"Do you vow to protect and cherish these wizards, to support and honour them and to forsake all others?" he questioned. </p><p>"I do," she vowed. </p><p>"Who comes to claim her?" he asked. </p><p>"We do," her grooms intoned. </p><p>"Do you vow to protect and cherish her, to support and honour her and to forsake all others?" the officiant demanded. </p><p>"We do," her husbands vowed. </p><p>"Who entrusts this witch to these wizards?" the officiant requested. </p><p>"I, Ronald Billius Weasley, entrust Hermione Jean Granger to these wizards," Ron answered with a weighted look at each of them. </p><p>"Do you vow to support and protect this union?" the officiant queried. </p><p>"I do," Ron swore. </p><p>"I call upon Lady Magic to test the hearts and souls of this witch and these wizards and bless their bond," the officiant called. This was not the procedure for most ceremonies, her virtue having left them several options of ancient bonding rituals. They had chosen this one for the symbolism. If the ceremony was successful they would feel a bond snap in place, all of the books said that Lady Magic very rarely concerned herself with these things and their bond would therefore be automatic. </p><p>As the elderly wizard raised his wand a hum vibrated through the air. Hermione felt it resonate within her chest and felt a tugging at her magical core, pulling her in the direction of her husbands. Alarmed, she glanced down and realised that she was glowing. She was glowing! The hum was getting louder, accompanied now by a steady ringing in her ears and the barely audible shrieks and confused cries from the crowds. Her husbands were glowing too, the ever unruffleable Lucius and usually inscrutable Rodolphus visibly panicking as the light shot from each of their chests to hers, connecting with a punch to her core. The blow should have knocked her off of her feet but something kept her rooted to the spot, mouth open in a silent scream and brow beading with the sweat of magical exhaustion. The only thing she was aware of was the turmoil inside her as her core attempted to adjust to the intrusion. </p><p>Slowly her senses returned to her, starting with the sharp taste of iron in her mouth from where she had bitten through her lip and the scent of ozone burning her nose. Hermione opened her eyes (when had she closed them?) when she felt a gentle kiss being pressed to her brow, but the world was pure, blinding white. Despite this she felt a motherly warmth encompass her, felt someone or something radiate pride and love towards her in a wave of heat and charged air. It smelt like fire and petrichor, like blood and sweet blossoms, like life and death. And then she blinked.</p><p>She and her husbands collapsed to their knees, their heaving breaths the only sound in the ministry atrium. As they became aware of their surroundings her husbands looked to her and she felt a sudden awareness of... something, she didn't know what, nudging at the edge of her consciousness and magical core. There wasn't any time to analyse that sensation as the officiant gathered his wits enough to break the silence, clearing his throat nervously with wide eyes before lowering his wand.</p><p>"With this blessing I confirm the bonding of Hermione Granger to Rodolphus Lestrange, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Lucius Malfoy, Severus Snape, Fred and George Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Gregory Goyle and Harry Potter," the officiant declared. "You may now kiss the bride." </p><p>A wave of cheers swept through the onlookers as her husbands stepped forward to kiss her, still shaky from whatever they had just experienced. They all pressed a chaste peck to her lips, clearly reading her reluctance for any further public displays of affection or preferring to minimise their contact (Severus). By the end of the procedure Hermione was flushed and breathless. Surprisingly she felt happiness bubble up inside of her as they turned to the witnesses, beaming an actual smile at the flashing cameras and misty eyed family members. To her left Harry stepped forward to take her arm, Draco doing the same on the right (and what a statement that made, the hero of the wizarding world and the junior deatheater standing on either side of <em>the</em> muggleborn witch). </p><p>"Mrs Potter." "Mrs Malfoy." They chirped cheekily. </p><p>"Mr Granger," she said to Harry with a sly grin before turning to address Draco. "Mr Granger." </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Strange</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Poor confused Lucius</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If anyone were to have asked Lucius Malfoy what he thought of Hermione Granger two days ago he would have answered immediately and with arrogant surety. Hermione Granger was powerful, intelligent and annoying. She didn't have the spine to use her power - it was such a waste really. She was also pitifully soft and whiny, constantly begging for what she should simply take and falling for every sob story she heard. Most annoyingly, she had bested him and his comrades time and time again. If he were asked the same question now he couldn't say what his answer would be.</p><p>Hermione Granger was strange, perhaps that would be all he could say. Lucius found her strange when she treated what he was sure she thought of as her less desirable husbands amicably. He found her strange when she hadn't immediately taken control of their meeting, like the know-it-all Severus described her as or the control freak Draco had called her (after he'd made him see how inferior she was to him). He found her strange when he kissed her and she kissed him back. It wasn't strange she'd enjoyed it, Lucius was well aware of his talents, but she hadn't submitted, giving as good as she got, and he'd found himself getting caught up. The way her lips fought with his for control, the aggressive nips she'd given him and the feel of her body pressed against his was all so intoxicating he'd barely remembered to send a taunting smirk at the others. He hadn't been able to resist teasing her a little too.</p><p>So yes, Hermione was strange. Strange, strange, strange. And maybe just a little bit (very) attractive. </p><p>He supposed that everything over the past couple of days had been rather strange, though. Discovering he would be sharing his bride with his son had been... uncomfortable. Draco deserved better, he knew, but there had always been a chance of such an eventuality so they adjusted well enough once the initial shock had worn off. At least he would be able to remain close to his son and begin to make amends. Lucius had never loved anyone or anything like he loved Draco and he could never forgive himself for putting him in danger through such folly as following the Dark Lord after he lost his mind - he should have defected as soon as it became clear just how deranged the Dark Lord was. He thought that there may be a shot at redemption in his son's eyes amongst all of this nonsense. </p><p>The meeting between all of them had been strange too. Finding himself at odds with Severus and on the side of the Weasleys and Potter was bizarre. When Severus had arrived with Potter he had already been trying to get a rise out of the man, he had quickly found that the only way he could get a reaction was to attack Miss Granger. Severus had gone on to throw several disparaging comments about the girl, including the gossip around her sex life, until even himself and Draco had felt the need to step in. The spy was lashing out out of fear, Lucius was sure, he could fool the others and himself but lucius knew his old friend too well to buy into it. The jealousy displayed after Lucius flouted Hermione's affections in his face was hilarious. Severus likely had no idea he was gone on the witch already. Poor fool.</p><p>There was, of course, the surprise of Miss Granger coming from money, old money too if she had managed to inherit an estate. This would make her induction into society life much simpler. She would already know the basics of etiquette, he would just have to ensure that her training translated to wizarding society and was not too muggle. Lucius would naturally provide for her as Lady Malfoy, but it was nice to know he and Draco would not be marrying too far below their stations. </p><p>The biggest shock of the meeting had to be that none of the rumours about Miss Granger's love life were true. In his experience most rumours had at least a partial element of truth to them, but apparently this witch really was as virtuous and righteous as she appeared and everything said about her was pure slander. In all honesty, up to then Lucius had seen her as Potter and Weasley's pet mudblood and, secretly (never in front of Draco who still admired her even if he tried to hide it from him), their whore. He was pleasantly surprised to know that she was untouched, even if her way of saying so had been more than a bit abrasive. He was a Malfoy, after all, he deserved the best. Even if he did have to share. </p><p>Lucius couldn't help but picture it all day long - having Miss Granger, that is. Would she be wild as she seemed day to day? Would she be demure, as her innocence suggested, and require his guidance? He would give it willingly. He would bring her pleasure beyond imagining and then weave her into his spell, bend her and mold her to fit his needs. His young new wife would prove to be very useful to his schemes, political and personal. </p><p>He'd spent the time preparing the Manor for the reception alternating between fantasising about his soon-to-be wife and fuming at the Weasley that had invaded his home. The twit had found his way into no less than four locked rooms including the one he had managed to conceal from the Ministry. Lucius had assigned three different house elves to chaperone Weasley in the end, just to have a moment to achieve anything, and even then he had had to go and drag the boy away from something or other himself every twenty minutes or so. Then there was the constant critique of the reception plans or decorations or the menu, Lucius considered the pros and cons of murdering the boy there and then. (He could do it. He had several hiding spots for any bodies or evidence that might arise, he also had no less than three alibis ready to go at any given time, just in case, plus half the Wizengamot and two thirds of the press were firmly in his back pocket. He was a Slytherin - he was prepared.) In the end he had decided against it, his intended would be displeased and the ensuing investigation would delay their wedding, and bore the orders (in his own house!) with all the grace his training and lineage allowed. And if he had measured the approximate height and weight of the annoyance in his ancestral home and calculated that the spot in Ipswich, the one on the unplottable estate, was the best fit, well, nobody had to know.</p><p>Contemplating homicide kept his mood buoyant until the ceremony. The tension remained between the grooms but they all put away their differences in front of the swarm of reporters, the last thing they needed was talk of their infighting. All of that was forgotten, however, the moment their bride appeared.</p><p>Hermione Granger was strange, Lucius had not changed his mind on that. She was also incredibly beautiful. As he watched her glide down the aisle as graceful as any pureblood lady would be he admired the image she made with no small amount of smugness. His bride was magnificent, clearly nervous but holding herself together admirably well and glorious in her gown which accentuated her figure. How strange that the wife he would never have chosen could be so appealing?</p><p>His appreciation of his bride ended abruptly when the ceremony took an unexpected turn. As the officiant called for the blessing of the union Lucius became acutely aware of pressure pressing down on him, ringing in his ears and the fact that his new wife was glowing faintly. Only a moment later did he realised that the rest of her bonded were glowing too. Panic consumed him as a force yanked at his magical core and a beam of light connected him to Hermione, causing his back to arch and sweat to bead his brow as his core poured out of him to her. Was she attempting to steal their magic? Had she done something? But she couldn't have, he realised, Potter and the two Weasleys were experiencing the same by the look of things - only a Slytherin would be devious enough to turn on those they were so close to.</p><p>A presence surrounded him as his vision blurred then went white. It felt like warmth and sharpness and safety. He could smell the lavender his mother wore, sharp citrus that was not unlike the clinical scent of Narcissa and something rich and earthy. What really stood out was the feeling of being scolded like a child. The presence didn't say anything to him but he felt the disapproval, which made him openly scowl in indignation. He was Lord Malfoy! Who dared to give him a telling off for some unknown crime? The being was laughing now. He couldn't necessarily hear it laughing but he could sense it in the hum in the air, the press of something hand like to his cheek and the motherly warmth.</p><p>It was gone as soon as it arrived, leaving him panting on the cool marble floor of the Ministry with the others. Everything passed in a blur after that. He had a chaste kiss from his wife, much too brief for his liking, and they were passing through the atrium to the Minister's office to floo to the Manor. There was no chance for him to speak to his new wife, who sequestered herself away in a side room with the Weasley matriarch as soon as they had arrived, before he and the other men were entertaining guests and supervising the workers. </p><p>Much later, once everyone had arrived he retrieved Hermione from that Weasley woman, firmly stating he would escort her to the reception as the hosting husband. The witch sighed and looked at him with almost fond exasperation that made him squirm internally, before taking his arm and allowing him to lead her to the ballroom. Just outside the doors he pulled her aside as he noticed her nervous twitching - it simply wouldn't do to have the Lady of the Manor lack poise in front of company.</p><p>"Steady now, Lady Malfoy. You cannot show weakness here," Lucius reprimanded, earning an annoyed pursing of her perfect lips. </p><p>"I'm sorry but do you remember the last time I was here? You know, when you watched your deranged sister-in-law torture me for hours then left me to bleed all over your perfectly polished floor? Excuse me for not being able to fake every emotion in the book like you can!" she spat at him. </p><p>Too taken aback to respond, he silently allowed her to pull him through the doors and into the ballroom. His mask fell into place immediately when all eyes turned to them. His wife seemed shockingly happy, the picture of the radiant joyful bride, as they greeted their guests.</p><p>Lucius grit his teeth through the necessary introductions to all the family members. The Weasleys were as irritating as usual, the twin terrors teased Hermione and revelled in her returned banter. Potter and his school friends were thankfully avoided until a later time as he was otherwise engaged with his godson, but he did have to suffer through Severus' withering glare as old McGonagall cooed over her cub and Flitwick remarked on the strange magic they had witnessed at the ceremony. Reintroducing Hermione to Narcissa was, however, the tensest moment for him. </p><p>"Mother, you remember Hermione," Draco said. </p><p>Narcissa Black smiled warmly at her son before appraising her new daughter-in-law. Hermione shifted in discomfort beneath her gaze, sending her a tentative smile, but Draco was far more nervous. It wouldn't be noticeable to the untrained eye but Lucius knew his son well. The way Draco had his hands clasped together so tight his knuckles had turned white was textbook anxiety and the way his jaw twitched showed how he clenched whenever any of them made a move. His son was poised for disaster and Lucius could not blame him.</p><p>"Of course, darling. It's a pleasure to meet you again, Lady Malfoy," Narcissa replied, shooting their son a reassuring smile and taking Hermione's hand between her own. "I look forward to getting to know you better, dear."</p><p>"Thank you, Lady... Malfoy?" Hermione trailed off uncertainly, earning a wry chuckle from Narcissa. </p><p>"I'll be going by Miss Black again from now on. Though I will be remaining in the Manor to see to it's upkeep, I am no longer the Lady Malfoy, you are," Narcissa explained gently. "But you must, please, call me Narcissa."</p><p>"Thank you, Narcissa. Please call me Hermione!" Hermione beamed at the easy acceptance from her mother-in-law. Lucius wished they could have left the encounter there.</p><p>"Draco, my dragon, why don't you take your lovely bride and talk to your friends while I speak to your father?" Narcissa requested with iron and steel in her tone that made it clear it wasn't necessarily a request. Draco and Hermione didn't seem to be too concerned about their orders, marching off happily while Lucius shivered beneath Narcissa's icy stare.</p><p>"Cissa, you look well," Lucius began.</p><p>"Hmm," she replied, moving her cool gaze from him to their son and his bride, her face softening as she did. They watched the young couple (who were chatting happily with Blaise Zabini and a pouting Ginevra Weasley) in uneasy silence for a few minutes before she continued. "They make a wonderful couple."</p><p>Lucius cleared his throat uncomfortably. It felt like a noose had wound its way around his neck, tightening slowly as he was buffeted by the waves of displeasure rolling off of his ex-wife. Narcissa had always managed to make him feel guilty.</p><p>"I hope you are happy with yourself, Lucius," she said flatly.</p><p>"I did nothing. You will have to find someone else to blame," he ground out.</p><p>"Exactly. You did nothing," she hissed. "You did nothing when that monster went mad in the first war and started going after children. You did nothing when he returned and invaded our home. You did nothing when he forced Draco, our son, to take the mark. You did nothing when he threatened me and tortured me to turn our son into a killer. You did nothing when he and my sister tortured us for entertainment. You did nothing when that poor girl was tortured by Bella. You did nothing to secure our safety when the regime fell. You did nothing to stop this law passing when we both know very well that you could have at any point, a law that I'm sure I don't need to remind you took our son's choices away. You. Did. Nothing."</p><p>By then end of her tirade her chest was heaving with barely suppressed rage. Nearby guests had clearly cottoned onto the fact that they could be potential first-hand witnesses to tomorrow's gossip, blatantly watching them over their glasses. They were too far away to overhear anything but they still tried anyway.</p><p>"I am sorry for the way the war went but I think this is the best outcome we could have hoped for. Draco is now bonded to the most powerful witch of the nation and I will be able to see to his safety," Lucius replied.</p><p>"He has to share his wife with his own father!" she spat.</p><p>"There was nothing I could do by the time I heard of the law," Lucius stated. </p><p>It was true, someone had desperately wanted the bill to pass and had somehow kept it hidden from him. He didn't like to think on the fact that he had lost so much sway in the Wizengamot since the war, far beyond simply being made to give up his seat, he had also lost some of the influence he held over the other Lords. He hadn't even managed to get his claws into the Department of Marriage Reform well enough to dictate who he would be assigned. There was a plot afoot in the ministry, one lucius wasn't sure he liked.</p><p>He turned from the happy picture his son and their bride made to his hostile ex-wife. They had once been friends, never in love but partners in an arranged marriage making the best with someone they respected. Draco had brought them together even more, giving them a common goal - protect him and keep him happy. But Lucius had made too many wrong choices, too many selfish choices too, and it had lost him the respect of his wife and friend. He had been a fool and he had ruined their son's life. That was unforgiveable to her.</p><p>When the decree had come that they would need to divorce it had almost been a relief to them both. They would still need to work together occasionally for Draco's sake, but they could end the public charade of the proud husband and the dutiful wife. He would see her taken care of still, seeing as she would not have to remarry as she could not bear anymore children.</p><p>Lucius knew he could never have love. He had been brought up to understand his place and his duty, love would not fall into that. His mother had once told him that he might find love with his wife one day but he had asked her if she had found love with his father and she had gone so very quiet, he'd had his answer and he'd given up hope.</p><p>"I will do everything in my power to ensure our son's happiness," he vowed, to himself as much as her.</p><p>Narcissa assessed him carefully, weighing up the truth in his words and looking for something in his expression. She must have found whatever she had been looking for because she offered him a real smile for the first time in years. It was a soft small smile, a barely there tilt of her lips and softening around her eyes that hardly showed through the cracks in her pureblood mask, but it was a real smile, not a polite practiced one, and it was for him. Maybe she could forgive him one day after all.</p><p>"I hope you find your happiness too," she confessed softly. She didn't say he deserved it, they both knew he didn't, but she wanted that for him nonetheless.</p><p>"I do not think that is on the cards for me. Knowing that you and Draco are happy is enough. I will be content with whatever I build with the girl," he stated, turning to see his bride walking back them sans Draco.</p><p>"I think she might surprise you," Narcissa said. </p><p>Lucius turned to her to ask what she meant by that but she had already walked off to speak to Mrs Zabini. Lucius was so confused. Hermione approached with a questioning look, one might have even called it concerned but that would be ridiculous.</p><p>"Is everything all right?" she asked.</p><p>"Quite, pet," he answered, holding out his arm for her to take.</p><p>They continued their circuit of the ballroom, moving on from family and friends to the individuals who had been important enough to warrant an invite. He led them to those he knew to be the most powerful first, introducing his new wife to the Wizengamot members and foreign dignitaries to begin with. They spent a great deal of time charming the Trade Minister of France with Hermione's surprisingly passable French before Lucius twisted it all to his advantage by bringing up a bill the minister had been set to propose and how it may be more prudent to wait ("just a little, until more support could be gathered. You understand, I'm sure. I know exactly the person to talk to to get this moving smoothly for you"), by which point the bill would have been amended to Lucius' specifications without anyone realising where the idea had come from. He was just about to congratulate the girl on her ability to woo the bureaucrats and politicians when they were accosted by that dreadful Skeeter woman.</p><p>"It's so nice to see you, Miss Granger," the woman oozed.</p><p>"You will address Lady Malfoy as a lady of her standing deserves," Lucius seethed.</p><p>"I apologise, Lord Malfoy, it's just, well, Lady Malfoy has so many titles to choose from, so many husbands too," Rita chirped in her annoyingly high voice.</p><p>"You will address me according to the husband who is accompanying me or you may address me by Viscountess Granger, as the title I inherited," Hermione stated.</p><p>Lucius felt as though he had been confounded. No one had mentioned his new wife was a member of the English peerage. Lucius was himself an earl - only one rung up from a viscountess. The possibilities this relevation opened up, their combined power and resources, left him in giddy anticipation.</p><p>"Of course, dear." Rita gave Hermione a smarmy smile with her too red lips. "But that would be your muggle title, wouldn't it? Doesn't quite stand up in the wizarding world, does it now? You've done quite well for yourself trapping so many powerful wizards. Tell me, dear, who was more exciting? Your long time lover, Harry Potter, or convicted killer, Rodolphus Lestrange?"</p><p>"Careful, Rita. You wouldn't want to bug me, would you?" Hermione said through her smile.</p><p>It was a perfectly nice smile if one weren't looking too closely. But as soon as you really looked you would notice the teeth - the smile had far too many teeth. Hermione brandished her teeth like knives, perfectly lovely knives but just as deadly. Her smile was perfect, perfectly restrained and polite and civilised in a way that said at any given moment that restraint could slip and she might do something very <em>uncivilised</em>. It was so impressive and so bizarre. </p><p>"Of course, Lady Malfoy. If you'll excuse me I'll just go and see if the Minister would give a quote for the morning addition," Rita simpered before making a hasty retreat.</p><p>Lucius turned to his strange wife as she huffed. His wife who had just intimidated the menace of the Prophet. His wife who had dazzled his connections. His wife who had been cordial with him and friendly with Draco. His wife who he could not understand.</p><p>"I need some air," she said, sending him an apologetic twist of her lips and heading towards a door off to the side of the room.</p><p>Lucius tailed into a narrow hallway where she had collapsed in on herself against the wall. He shut the door firmly behind him, sure no one knew to follow them. Hermione had seemed so strong when facing down Skeeter but now she had a haunted, lost expression and he didn't know what to do. To show compassion was to show weakness but to ignore her plight would cause a rift between them and turn her against him.</p><p>Lucius tentatively approached his wife and offered a hand. She looked up at him with wide wondrous eyes, as though she couldn't believe he would offer her this crumb of kindness, before taking his hand and stepping closer to him. Her hand was so small in his, delicate and soft. Their eyes fell to the connection between them. </p><p>"I'm sorry," she whispered after a couple of minutes had passed. "I was just a little overwhelmed. I'll be fine to go back in now."</p><p>"There is no rush. Take a while longer to compose yourself," he murmured, brushing his thumb along the back of her hand and noting the hitch in her breath. "You handled yourself admirably back there." </p><p>"Well, I know how to deal with cockroaches like her," she said in a deliberately serious tone before looking up at him and dissolving into giggles. </p><p>She looked at him as though she had just referenced some private joke they shared. He had no idea what was so funny but her giggles sounded like bells and felt like rain on dried earth - refreshing. It was so infectious he couldn't help but chuckle when she made a rather unladylike snort, his eyes crinkling in warmth as he found himself honestly enjoying her company. He was so at ease he forgot himself for a moment and used his unoccupied hand to stroke her cheekbone. </p><p>Hermione moved first, the bravery of Gryffindor propelling her into action where the tact of Slytherin held him back. She grabbed his collar and yanked his mouth down to hers. The kiss was just as wild and passionate as the first they had shared, driving him to bury his fingers in her hair and draw her closer, fighting for control of the kiss. He let her turn them so he was the one pressed to the wall with her in turn pressed against him. He could feel the swell of her breasts against his chest, her hands clutching his clothes as though afraid he may push her away (ha!) and, sweet merlin, her knee pushing his legs apart and grinding against the growing bulge between them. How had he ever thought her too weak to take what she wanted when she had claimed him so thoroughly? </p><p><em>Gods!</em> She was going to kill him. She was going to torture him in this sweet, sweet way until he died there under her glorious attentions. Lucius thought he would be okay with that. What a lovely death that would be. </p><p>He had given up the pretense of dominance at this point, throwing his head back as she nibbled at his jaw and drove him to the edge of release. Another moment of her ministrations would have been enough to bring him satisfaction but she pulled away at the last second. Her leg slipped away from where he needed it, her hands flattened against his chest and she pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth as she put a good inch of space between them. When he tried to follow her she pressed her hands harder to him in a silent order to stay put. </p><p>"We should get back," she murmured, breath ghosting across his lips. </p><p>"I'm not done with you yet," he groaned, reaching for her as she laughed and danced out of reach. </p><p>"Take this as payback for getting me all hot and bothered in front of the others yesterday," she quipped and quickly fixed her hair before leaving him there.</p><p>Lucius stood there in his confused, aroused state and thought about how strange his life had become. He thought about how strange it was for him to be stood there like some randy teenager and he considered how strange the last couple of days had been. He thought about how strange his new wife was. </p><p>Hermione Granger was strange. Hermione Granger was exciting. Hermione Granger was a bloody minx. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you again for your comments! I loved writing this chapter and in case you didn't notice Narcissa is one of my favourite characters. There will be no Narcissa bashing here. Here Narcissa is the one doing the bashing.</p><p>Let me know what you think!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Never Have I Ever</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kingsley gives a speach and a game is played</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm back! Really sorry for disappearing on you all, life got a bit weird. I've had staffing issues with my care team (which was bad) and been approved for treatment of my untreatable disease (which is really fricking good!). Basically my head is scrambled and I've been extremely busy.</p><p>I can't promise when I'll be updating, it'll just be whenever I can.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Hermione left Lucius behind in the small passageway she attempted to appear completely unruffled. She couldn't believe that she'd done something so brazen! She didn't know what had possessed her to throw herself at Lucius and be so aggressive. Having the elder Malfoy willingly allowing her exploration and submitting to her desires was a shockingly heady experience, pushing her to want more, to take more. It would be no hardship falling into bed with the man. </p><p>"Mrs Granger." Severus appeared by her side unexpectedly, interrupting her spiraling thoughts. Hermione smiled up at him questioningly. "Your head of house would like to see you." </p><p>Hermione stifled her laughter at his ridiculous phrasing. Professor McGonagall had long since stopped being her head of house and was now a firm friend, yet Severus still made it sound like she was about to receive a good scolding. He reluctantly offered her his arm and she took it, walking with him across the room to the group of educators watching them. </p><p>"Hermione, my dear girl, we wondered where Lord Malfoy had dragged you off to!" exclaimed Professor McGonagall with a knowing gleam in her eye that had Hermione blushing a deep crimson. She hadn't thought anyone would notice their absence. "Severus seemed very concerned for you." </p><p>Severus happened to be sending McGonagall a withering glare. The only indication that Professor McGonagall had noticed his displeasure was the sly look she gave him in return, all smug smile and dancing eyes. Hermione took pity on the man, having been on the receiving end of McGonagall's teasing a few times now. </p><p>"I just needed a moment to compose myself. You know what it's like when the Daily Prophet tries to get a hold of you. Skeeter is out for blood today," Hermione huffed in semi feigned annoyance. She had dealt with Skeeter easily enough but the irritation the woman inspired in her still lingered.</p><p>"What is that woman even doing here?" blustered Professor Flitwick. </p><p>"Lucius invited the press. <em>All</em> the press, apparently," Hermione grumbled. </p><p>"Lucius now is it?" McGonagall teased. </p><p>"Well he is my husband, Professor, it would be strange not to use his name," Hermione said, raising her eyebrow in challenge as Severus scoffed. "Problem, Severus?" </p><p>"Not at all, <em>Mrs Granger</em>," he answered through gritted teeth. </p><p>Hermione bristled at the slight of refusing to use her first name. Out of the corner of her eye she noted Flitwick look away in embarrassment and McGonagall's lips thin. Breathing deeply to avoid causing a scene, she turned away from her husband back to McGonagall. </p><p>"You wanted to speak to me about something, Professor?" she asked McGonagall. </p><p>"Yes, I was hoping to convince you to assist with updating the curriculum. Harry has agreed to look at the Defence Against The Dark Arts with Severus here." Severus sneered so deeply Hermione worried it might give him a headache. "But we need to look at the curriculums for Muggle Studies and History of Magic. Both have been abysmal for years and I can think of no one better to improve such courses."</p><p>Considering how she would be unable to take on a full time job while acting as a bloody brood mare, Hermione couldn't help but feel excited at having a project like this. Compared to the work she had been doing voluntarily within the Ministry for the last two years, which she had found frustrating, tedious and counterproductive, she would likely enjoy such academic work. She already had several ideas for how both courses could be improved, having spent her school years creating study plans for her and the boys to make up for the gaps in their education. On top of that she could do her part to ensure that future generations never saw muggles, muggleborns or magical creatures as lesser beings ever again. </p><p>"I would love to, Professor! I can get started right away so hopefully everything will be in place by September. Thank you so much for involving me!" Hermione gushed. </p><p>"Actually, it was Severus' idea," McGonagall replied with a pointed look at the wizard in question. </p><p>Hermione beamed up at her dour husband, positive that she imagined the red tinge in his cheeks. He was openly seething at his colleague now, gnashing his teeth together and likely brewing some hurtful comments, but it didn't distract from how pleased she was that he had thought of her. Even if his "idea" was a passing comment he'd still known that this would be something she'd want to be involved in and he clearly held her in high enough esteem to think she could do it. It was hardly a declaration of love, but it was a subtle sign of respect. She could work with that. </p><p>"Thank you for thinking of me," she said, earning a jerky nod in response. </p><p>They continued discussing the modernisation of Hogwarts for longer than was probably polite when Hermione should have been entertaining guests. It was established that despite the low numbers of surviving students they were determined to have Hogwarts reopen that year, even though a number of staff members had passed during the plague. Kingsley interrupted them when they were in the middle of debating how it would affect Hogwarts' values to have so many professors living off site as the marriage law demanded.</p><p>"Mrs Shacklebolt, may I escort you to dinner?" Kingsley asked, sending her a dazzling smile that made her insides turn to goo. </p><p>"That would be wonderful, Minister," she replied, linking their arms and pressing close to the heat of his body. </p><p>"I have been after a moment alone with you all afternoon, dear one. You are the most beautiful vision I have ever seen," he murmured hotly in her ear as they made their way to the raised platform at the end of the ballroom. </p><p>Hermione's breath stuttered as she blinked up at him, feeling like a deer caught in headlights. She was trapped beneath the intensity of his gaze, different to the lude way Lucius had appraised her but no less desirous. It made her feel like there was no one left in the world but the two of them. As he slowly raised her hand to his lips she wondered what else those strong hands could do, those wonderful lips. So wrapped up in his intoxicating presence was she that she didn't realise they had reached their place at the table until Kingsley dropped her hand and pulled out her chair. </p><p>In truth it was more a throne than a chair. Her place was at the centre of the curving oak table, with Kingsley on her right and Lucius on her left, her other husbands extending out in either direction. The seat must have been imbued with a hundred cushioning charms judging by the way she sank into the seat and felt as though she were floating on air. Gold filigree detailed the arms and back of the chair, the dark, warm wood stood taller than the other seats and vines of ivy had been wrapped around it, making her feel like the druid queens of old. </p><p>She reigned on high over the reception dinner, enjoying the exquisite food that appeared on her plate. There were as many as seven courses and all were as decadent as would be expected at a Malfoy run event. There had been a platter of hors d'oeuvres paired with a sweet, light white wine, then a delicious paté served on crispy, thin toast, followed by a light beetroot salad. The portions were so small and delicate that she managed to finish them all, yet each dish had been so delicious that she eagerly awaited the next. A lemony seabass served with samphire introduced the more complex dishes. The main course of lamb shank, new potatoes and roasted vegetables was simple but no less tasty than the previous courses. </p><p>The pièce de résistance, in Hermione's opinion, had to be the dessert. Each person had one of four dessert choices and she wondered if they had been given a menu or the house elves simply knew what each guest would enjoy most. Regardless, whoever selected the raspberry pavlova was an omniscient god and (if it wasn't Lucius) she would gladly fall at their feet in worship. Raspberries had always been her favourite fruit and this dessert choice fit her preferences perfectly. The fact that Kingsley took the opportunity to steal bites off of her plate, giving the occasion a playful atmosphere with his teasing grin, made the experience ten times better. </p><p>A platter of cheese and biscuits rounded off the meal, although Hermione was too stuffed by that point to do more than nibble on each type so she had at least tasted them all. Once the house elves had snapped the dishes away and refilled the glasses Kingsley stood, tapping his glass politely. Eventually the buzz of conversation died away so all were focused on the Minister. </p><p>"Good afternoon everyone. I have been elected by the rest of the Granger family to give a speech for this auspicious occasion. Let me begin by thanking you all for coming and Lucius for putting this wonderful reception together at such short notice," Kingsley began, receiving a pleased nod from Lucius in reply. "This wedding will be the first of many this week, marking a new dawn in wizarding Britain. For too long now our lives have been filled with fear, sorrow and grief, the hardships brought by war seemed never ending. When I spoke at the anniversary of The Battle of Hogwarts two weeks ago I spoke of our desire to see our world flourish as it once did. We have toiled over the past few years to survive but now we must go further and rebuild. Weddings such as this are the first step of our journey to accomplish this. This will be hard work for all involved and the sacrifices made will not go unrewarded when our streets are filled with our vibrant community and Hogwarts teems with students once more."</p><p>"I would also like to thank Hermione for doing us the honour of binding herself to us, her husbands. Lady Magic chose to bless our union today in the first recorded case of such a blessing in centuries. I think we can all agree that that spells good things ahead for our new family." Here Kingsley stopped in contemplation before blinking himself back to the present and carrying on. "Hermione is a wonderful witch: top of her year in Hogwarts; a war heroine who took on Voldemort a number of times, many of which before she reached her majority; awarded the Order of Merlin First Class at the age of eighteen for services rendered to wizarding Britain; the most beautiful witch I know; and the smartest and kindest too. I am honoured to call her my wife even if I have to share her with this lot."</p><p>Hermione choked out a laugh, blinking back tears as their audience chuckled. Kingsley's speech was perfectly balanced to be appropriate for the Minister of Magic and touching as her husband. She sniffled lightly as she smiled up at him, awestruck by how he had honoured her, reaching for his hand and clasping it tightly in gratitude. The clicks and flashes of cameras informed her that there would likely be a number of shots of this moment in the papers the following morning. </p><p>"And so, let me finish by raising a toast to all of those who have fought for us, to the future and to Hermione, my lovely wife," Kingsley declared, looking out over the guests before turning to catch her eyes as he raised his glass. "To Hermione." </p><p>"To Hermione," everyone chanted, toasting her as she looked at Kingsley in embarrassed gratitude.</p><p>After that the attention slid from her for a while as everyone returned to their drinks and conversations, allowing her to relax and her the heat to fade from her cheeks. The afternoon continued into the early evening with the cutting of the cake. She fed each of her husbands a small piece of the sponge cake that made up the bottom layer and they fed her a bite each too. It was a strangely muggle custom, or so she thought until Rodolphus quietly explained that the custom of feeding each other had been a key element of wizarding weddings for centuries, long before the Statute of Secrecy had come into effect. Hermione was immediately intrigued by what other muggle traditions were in fact originally magical and peppered Rodolphus with quiet questions until he promised to provide her with what knowledge he had at a later date, subtly amused by her petulant pout. </p><p>Later they opened the dance floor with their first dance. Hermione twirled from husband to husband until her feet hurt and her head spun, though that may have been the wine and the excitement of the day. Cameras flashed as she gazed into Harry's eyes and again as she settled into Severus' stiff arms. Unfortunately the press seemed just as interested in the dances she shared with Rodolphus and Lucius, snapping photographs, murmuring incoherently and just generally distracting her from how comfortable she felt with Rodolphus and how she couldn't stop remembering the feel of Lucius' lips as she pressed up against him. All of her husbands danced very well, even Goyle who, despite being clumsy and shy, held her tenderly and carefully, never once stepping on her toes. </p><p>Exhausted and with sore feet, Hermione flitted from table to table for the rest of the reception, conversing with the guests and refusing to offer quotes to all reporters beyond what had been offered before. As the evening wound down the press and other guests they were not familiar with slowly trickled out. The tables were pushed to the side and fewer but larger tables were brought out, allowing more people to congregate around one table. </p><p>The room had clearly been divided into factions: those she went to Hogwarts with; the Order members and their families; and the group Hermione had politely dubbed the older Slytherins. Despite the division everyone was getting along, occasionally someone would even switch groups. Hermione was currently sat with her classmates, playing a game of magical "never have I ever". The game was exactly the same as the other version she had played except there was a compulsion to drink when you were supposed to. Ergo, there was no way to hide the truth. </p><p>"Never have I ever established a sex rota," Harry cried, grinning unrepentantly at her.</p><p>Glaring daggers as the compulsion forced her shot to her lips, Hermione swore she would get Harry back for that. She sagged into Goyle with a huff as the fire whiskey burned a path down her throat. He had a very comfortable arm she'd decided. </p><p>"You have a sex rota?!" Ginny cried, cackling. </p><p>"It was Kingsley's idea," Hermione grumbled. </p><p>"I don't think he meant it quite so literally, Mione," Harry chuckled, before gulping as she sat up straight with a wicked gleam in her eyes. </p><p>"Never have I ever broken into the Slytherin common room," Hermione said. Watching Harry as he sullenly downed his shot brought her great satisfaction, although she did feel slightly (barely) guilty for dragging Ron into it. </p><p>"It was one time!" Harry shouted.</p><p>"Really, Mione, did you have to tell everyone?" Ron groaned as he drained his glass and all of the Slytherin ex-students shouted in indignation. "We should tell everyone why you weren't there!" </p><p>Ron paled and raised his hands in surrender as Hermione glared at him. She was incredibly sensitive about the time she had cocked up her polyjoice potion by mixing up human hair with cat hair, likely because of the dressing down she had received from both Severus and Minerva. It still felt like one of her biggest failures, despite the time that had passed and experience she had gained, and the boys had been forbidden from telling anyone. </p><p>"There is no way you managed to get away with that! Someone must have caught you. I would have noticed straight away," Draco declared with absolute conviction which set Harry, Ron, Hermione and anyone who had heard the story before off into secretive giggles. "What's so funny?" </p><p>"Well, it's just... You didn't notice, Malfoy," Ron said with a wry twist to his lips, being the only one recovered enough to speak. </p><p>Hermione decided Draco's confused, scrunched up face was adorable. All she wanted to do was squish his cheeks, despite knowing how patronising it would be, and pat him on the head. Hermione may also have been a bit drunk. </p><p>"We used polyjuice to get in," Harry said, wiping a stray tear of mirth from his eye. "I was convinced you were the heir of Slytherin and convinced Ron and Hermione to investigate. We had a full conversation with you about it."</p><p>Laughter bubbled up within her again at Draco's outraged expression. These stories had gotten old in their social circle (they had never brought most of them up in front of Molly, however, for fear of the tongue lashing they'd receive for such recklessness) but a fresh audience had given them new life. She couldn't wait to tell them that Harry was actually Lord Slytherin by conquest, but she'd keep that for a special occasion when she could truly saviour their reactions. </p><p>"But who were you disguised as?" Blaise Zabini asked, grinning manically. </p><p>"I was Goyle. Sorry, mate," Harry answered with an apologetic nod to Goyle. </p><p>"I was Crabbe," Ron said quietly.</p><p>A solemn silence fell as they were reminded of one of many losses. Hermione wrapped herself around Goyle's broad arm, kissing his shoulder and looking up at his grief stricken face. It was the most emotion she had seen him express so far. Vincent Crabbe had been his counterpart for the entirety of their schooling, the two of them all but joined at the hip. Crabbe's death would likely have hit him the hardest. </p><p>"I'm sorry... Greg," Hermione murmured into his shoulder.</p><p>Greg looked down at her in surprise. He smiled shyly, softening the features she had always found slightly brutish but now thought of as strong and broad. She thought he was very handsome when he smiled. </p><p>His surprised blink and the way the others seemed to be surreptitiously looking at them made her realise she had said that aloud. She really was very drunk. </p><p>"Oh! I've got one!" Blaise exclaimed suddenly, breaking through the awkward atmosphere. "Never have I ever hexed Zacharias Smith."</p><p>Ginny and, surprisingly, Padma Patil took their shots. Everyone looked at Padma in shock and confusion, waiting for an explanation. The Ravenclaw had fought valiantly in the war alongside her twin but was not at all known for confrontations outside of that. </p><p>"What? He was a dick? It was only a small curse. Just a few boils," she sniffed. She was right, he was such a dick he hadn't even made the guest list for the day. </p><p>"Nice! Mine was my Bat-Bogey Hex," Ginny replied. </p><p>"That hex is disgusting," whined Draco, one of Ginny's other victims. </p><p>"I just thought you suited green so well," Ginny said sweetly. </p><p>Blaise laughed and said he was sure Draco had it coming. He grinned widely at his annoyed friend, entirely unrepentant in having embarrassed Draco so publicly. Then, turning to Ginny and taking her hand to press a lingering kiss to the back of it, he declared "my intended is so lovely you should feel blessed by such attention". </p><p><em>Ginny's going to have her work cut out there</em>, Hermione thought. </p><p>Blushing and ignoring him, Ginny turned to find someone new to torment, though Hermione noted that she didn't pull her hand away. Ginny perused the circle of potential victims as they waited with baited breathe. Her eyes landed on her youngest brother but switched to Harry after a moment. </p><p>"Never have I ever been banned from Gringotts," Ginny stated, causing the Golden Trio to groan as they took their shots and poured another. But she wasn't done yet. Smirking maliciously at the three of them, she added "for stealing a dragon." </p><p>Ron and Harry drank once more but Hermione did not. They both looked at her in confusion and Ginny looked a bit put out. Hermione raised her nose snootily. </p><p>"We did not keep the dragon, therefore we did not steal it. We liberated it," Hermione stated. </p><p>Smiles slowly crept on her boys' faces. Ginny huffed at her for spoiling her fun, leaning back and crossing her arms. Everyone looked a mix of surprised, intrigued and amused, apart from Draco who looked down right scandalised and a smattering of Slytherins who were disgusted. Pansy Parkinson had her pug face set in a growl, while Theodore Nott wore an impressive sneer, one even Severus would have been proud of. </p><p>"I'm sorry, go back. You got banned from Gringotts?" Blaise demanded. Hermione nodded. "For breaking in and stealing a dragon? Sorry! <em>Liberating</em> a dragon?" </p><p>"Yep," Hermione answered. </p><p>"How did you get in?" Blaise questioned, dumbfounded at their actions. </p><p>"'Mione dressed up as Bellatrix Lestrange and demanded to see her vault," Ron told them, garnering an impressed whistle from Blaise. </p><p>"You got some balls, Granger," Blaise declared. </p><p>"That's our wife," George proclaimed, raising his glass to her. </p><p>"Our wife and her lady balls," Fred added.</p><p>Hermione rolled her eyes, amused at their childish antics despite herself. A soft snort alerted her to the first real sign of enjoyment she'd heard from Greg all evening. Maybe he would get on well with the twins eventually. </p><p>"Never have I ever held the sword of Gryffindor," Hermione said, deciding to move the attention away from her and noticing that Neville had been especially quiet all day. Harry, Neville and Ron drank bemusedly. </p><p>"Looking forward to handling Harry's sword of Gryffindor tonight, Hermione?" asked Seamus, making her huff and Harry blush. </p><p>"Lucky me, I get two," Luna chirped. </p><p>Choking on their drinks, Ron and Neville looked at her askance, both blushing an ironic Gryffindor red. Luna sighed dreamily at them, seemingly oblivious to the shock she had caused. Hermione was intrigued by the reaction of the pair of boys. Both seemed to be trying to look at each other and Luna without the others noticing. </p><p>"Well, if the conversation is going to the gutters I think it's time we said good night. Don't you think, 'Mione?" Harry suggested, standing up and extending his hand in her. </p><p>Extricating herself from Greg's person and offering him an apologetic smile, Hermione stood and accepted Harry's hand. She deliberately ignored the jeers and whistles of her classmates, they meant well, most of them anyway, but her entire being was tense with anticipation. There was no fear - this was Harry she was talking about, she'd trusted him with her life, soul and happiness too many times for him to fail her now - but she was more nervous than she had ever been before.</p><p>They made their way around the room to say their farewells, Hermione dutifully kissing each of her husbands on the cheek. Lucius stood when they reached him, claiming to need to show them to the apparition point now they were keyed into the family wards. Personally Hermione suspected he just wanted to annoy Harry as he took the longest route possible and claimed her arm for himself. The firm kiss on the lips he gave her and the warm "Mrs Malfoy" he uttered made her soften to him slightly, until he threw a smug look Harry's way and a curt "Potter". They'd been married mere hours and he was already trying to wind up the others. </p><p>
  <em>Ugh! </em>
</p><p>"Shall we be off then, Mrs Potter?" Harry asked as soon as Lucius left. </p><p>Hermione smiled at him. In all this madness she would never cease to be grateful to Lady Magic for binding him to her. So, with a tilt of her lips, she stepped into his arms, allowing him to apparate them straight to his bedroom in their new home. She kissed him deeply as they vanished from Malfoy Manor and didn't stop until she dragged him to his bed. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you liked it! There will be some smut following this but I decided to post it separately.</p><p>Also, can you tell I was hungry when I wrote this?!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Have You Ever?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Smutty smut smut</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you all for the comments! And sorry again for disappearing for so long! I'll keep updating when I can. </p><p>Here's the second part of chapter 7. This is mostly smut and therefore mostly optional. I will summarise anything you should know at the end in the notes. </p><p>I haven't wrote smut beyond sexting in so long and I didn't send this to my beta as she's not keen on smut so go easy on me!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hermione's knees hit the edge of the large four poster bed. She gripped Harry's shoulders, falling back onto the firm mattress and pulling him on top of her, her lips only leaving his as she huffed at their clumsy landing. They shifted higher up the bed as they kicked their shoes off and Harry shrugged off his jacket. For a moment she was tempted to scold him for being so careless with such a fine jacket but then his lips were on hers again, drowning out thoughts of anything else. </p><p>How had she gone all these years never knowing the taste of Harry's lips? The comforting weight of him above her? The feel of his hands in her hair? She didn't think she could survive a second without it now she knew how he felt against her and the way his lips tasted of the fire whiskey they had been partaking in, a slight hint of burnt sugar and something indefinable that was just Harry.</p><p>Harry pulled back and broke their kiss to look into her eyes, thumbs stroking along her cheeks as his hands cradled her head. The way he looked at her was surprisingly familiar. She realised then that he'd been looking at her like that since the Forest of Dean, probably the same way she had been looking at him for nearly as long. </p><p>"Do you have a Sober-Up potion?" Harry asked before his eyes crinkled in fond amusement. "Scratch that - of course you do. Where's your bag?" </p><p>Giggling, she fished her wand and her trusted extendable bag, the same one she had carried with her since Bill and Fleur's wedding, from the cleverly hidden charmed pocket in her skirts. They both drank a vial of the potion, something she had taken to keeping on her person at all times once she realised what party animals her friends could be. Casting a quick breath freshening charm on each of them and a cheeky Scourgify, she placed their wands on the bedside table, having snatched Harry's from his back pocket. She may have also taken a moment to squeeze his bum, just a little bit. </p><p>"Have you ever...? With Ginny?" she trailed off, uncertain why she'd asked. </p><p>"No, never. There's only you Mione," Harry vowed.</p><p>Hermione beamed up at him. She didn't know why it mattered but it <em>did</em>. There was something special about knowing he was hers completely, that only she would get to see him like this. They had experienced many firsts together, this would be yet another. This time she adventured with him gladly. </p><p>"We're in this together then," she murmured, pressing her mouth to the corner of his. </p><p>They undressed each other slowly, taking their time to explore every inch of skin as it was exposed. It wasn't the first time she had seen him naked, they'd lived together for years after all, but it was the first time she was free to enjoy, to taste, to touch. She took full advantage of the opportunity and had him panting in need as much as her by the time they were both completely bare. </p><p>The Sober-Up potion meant that her senses were no longer dulled by alcohol and her nerves alighted at every point of contact between them. She gasped as he mouthed at her neck, she scraped at his back as he licked and kissed and sucked a trail of fire down her body, she arched her back as he swirled his tongue around her pink, pebbling nipple and she writhed as he skirted around her most private area and nibbled at the inside of her thigh. Sweating and panting and chanting his name, she tugged gently at his hair, urging him to where she desperately wanted his touch. He sucked a mark onto her inner thigh and then he was <em>there</em>.</p><p>Already so wet when he started, she didn't think it could be possible for her to be more so. Yet, as he lavished her with his enthusiastic attention, she felt heat pooling in her belly and a damp patch growing underneath her. He took his time with the outermost areas of her mons, leaving her desperate for more. When he darted his tongue out tentatively to taste her wetness her back bowed and her mouth opened in a breathless moan.</p><p>His hands remained on her thighs, holding them over his shoulders, clammy with nerves. Muddling her way to the surface of the bombardment of sensations, Hermione remembered this was Harry's first time too. No wonder he seemed to have stalled, licking around and gently into her opening with clumsy enthusiasm.</p><p>"More, deeper, please, Harry!" she pleaded, directing him as he pushed his tongue in with more conviction now he had instructions to follow.</p><p>She untangled her hands from his hair, unclasped his hand from her leg and manoeuvred it to her clit. Directing him with her own hand, she showed him to circle the nub and rub it. Soon, between the tongue inside her and his thumb against her, he had her an incoherent, moaning mess. She chanted his name in rhythm with his movements, the only word she could remember beyond the building pleasure in her core.</p><p>With a glance at her, silently asking permission and receiving a hissed "yes", he pushed a finger into her core. He matched each pump of his finger with a flick of his thumb across her clit and a lathe of his tongue against her inner walls. She briefly wondered at his ability to coordinate all three movements at once, but then he was pushing a second finger in bit by bit and the stretch just felt so perfect that she lost the ability to concentrate at all.</p><p>Harry worked his two digits fully in at a slow steady pace, clearly worried about hurting her even though she was so wet and turned on and ready there's almost no resistance. Then he slides in a third, there's a slight, barely there burn as she stretches around it but it only adds to her pleasure. Suddenly he crooks his fingers and hits a spot inside her that makes sparks fly across her entire being. Satisfied by her reaction of gasping moans, he moved his mouth away from her entrance and to her clit, sucking hard in beat with the movement of his fingers.</p><p>The combined assault tipped her over the edge. She was falling and flying all at once. Vision going white as her brain short circuited and emptied in a way she hadn't thought possible. </p><p>She came back to herself as Harry slipped his digits out of her and pulled himself up to lie next to her. He rested his hand on her side, arm stretched across her, and rubbed a soothing path up and down as his eyes burned into her skull. His throbbing length was pressing insistently against her hip but he seemed content to ignore it. </p><p>"Was that OK?" he breathed. </p><p>A relaxed smile spread across her face as she turned to look at him. He was flushed and sweaty just as she was, clearly desperate for his own release but happily ensuring her wellbeing first. </p><p>"Brilliant," she declared, turning onto her side, throwing her leg over him and drawing him into a deep, languid kiss.</p><p>Hermione pushed everything she was feeling into the kiss. All of the love, gratitude, joy and hope she was feeling was expressed in every press of her lips and flick of her tongue. Allowing the kiss to escalate, she needed to give him a fraction of the joy he had shown her. </p><p>Her hand slid from his neck to reach between them and wrap around his cock. She swallowed his groan as she pumped his length twice and savoured the breathy gasps he made as she drew back the hood and flashed her thumb across the slit, smearing the pre-cum across the head. His hips jerked in a futile attempt to fuck into her hand but she refused to increase her pace, relishing the chance to explore him and discover what he liked best. The way his hands grasped greedily at her and his body juddered made her suspect he was close to reaching his release, but she wouldn't, couldn't allow that. Not yet.</p><p>Breaking their kiss and resting her forehead against his, she gazed into his eyes, silently asking permission. A sharp nod prompted her to throw her leg further over him and line his length up with her quim, enjoying the way he glided against her sensitive mons. </p><p>They moved their hips in tandem, panting into each others mouths as Harry nudged his way inside her. He wasn't particularly big, Hermione didn't really have anything to compare it to but she knew he was only just on the larger side of average. Even so her body had never had to accommodate anything so thick or long there before. The burn was an exquisite torture, making her want to both shy away and impale herself on his length to experience more. It was only once the head, the widest part of him, had popped past her walls that they paused to allow her to relax. </p><p>Once the stretch subsided enough to be outweighed by pleasure she rolled her hips, feeling him meet her but never thrust too far, careful to go slow. His hardness pushed into her inch by inch until he was fully sheathed within her heat, pressing sloppy kisses to her jaw as her brain rebooted. They lay there for some time, growing accustomed to the feeling of their connection. </p><p>Hermione realised that she could feel her magic rising, buzzing just under her skin. It had built up so slowly during their activities that she hadn't noticed until then. Further inspection showed her magic had been drawn to the surface of her being but remained inactive, as though waiting for some unown sign to strike out. Reaching out her awareness as she had trained herself to do, she sensed two noteworthy things. The first was that whatever had been niggling at the back of her mind and nudging against her magical core since the binding at their wedding was much more insistent than earlier, pushing at her consciousness but flinching back whenever she tried to investigate further. The second was that she could feel Harry's power simmering under his skin, drawing her in like a moth to a flame. </p><p>Then they were moving together again, driving him impossibly deeper within her. Their movements were slow, savouring the sensation of being joined together and bringing each other pleasure. They exchanged open mouthed kisses and held each other tight as the singing in their veins rose higher. </p><p>Harry redirected his thrusts slightly, picking up speed and searching for that wonderful place inside her. When he found it she found release quickly. The explosion in her mind was much more intense this time and it took her a moment to realise that her magic had broken free, reaching for Harry. The force pushing against her magical core and consciousness was hammering now as she cried Harry's name and fluttered her inner walls around him.</p><p>Harry groaned and twitched within her and then he followed her over the edge, moaning her name, painting her insides with his release. As he came she climaxed again, squeezing around him, causing him to moan and pump more of his seed inside her. They rode out their release together, oblivious to the actions of their magic.</p><p>As they came down from their high, Hermione realised that Harry's magic had escaped his usually tight hold. She could feel it whipping through the air and caressing her skin. The niggle at the back of her head was gone, having been replaced by some sort of link that she followed curiously. The path it took her down lead to a familiar warmth. She opened her eyes in shock, unsure when she had closed them.</p><p>The same chain of magical light that connected them upon Lady Magic's blessing had appeared between them. Harry seemed equally as perplexed as her. Suspicious, she tugged at the connection in her mind, noting that it was bound to her magical core too. His eyes flew to hers in surprise and she understood why it felt so familiar, so like home. It was <em>Harry</em>.</p><p>Harry was in her head. He was in her magic. He was in her heart. He was in her soul. They were bound together in every way possible, including ways she hadn't thought doable.</p><p>Testing the link for a while, they discovered that they could sense a little of the other's emotions. It would not serve as a method of communication, just a reassurance that the other was there. The first chance she got Hermione was going to be doing some serious research. When she said as much Harry merely shrugged, explaining that he'd learnt to roll with whatever the world threw at them sometime ago, insisting that, as this was a good thing, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. </p><p>Their magic had retreated back into them, the only sign that it had ever been free a slightly burnt scent in the air. Her magic seemed to be purring in contentment. She concurred with it, sighing happily as they petted each other lazily.</p><p>Eventually Harry slipped from her, causing her to wince at the sore feeling between her legs and grimace as fluid trickled out, and reached for his wand, casting a quick scourgify as they were both too exhausted to move beyond that. They traded soft kisses for a while before sleep overtook them. Head tucked under Harry's chin, arm flung over his side, Hermione fell into the most peaceful sleep she had ever experienced.</p><p>Harry was hers. And she was Harry's. Everything else they could deal with later. Together. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So sweet, tentative sex was what I tried to portray. I loved the idea of Harry being a virgin for the same reasons I made Hermione one.</p><p>The only real plot point that's important beyond establishing some relationship themes was that the bonding ceremony connected their mind and magic somehow. They can't communicate but can sense each others' emotions.</p><p>Hope you liked it!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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